Goodbye Halcyon Days
by HalcyonNight
Summary: "So long Halcyon days" He sighed, nostalgia evident on his tongue. He wished to go back to those calm, peaceful days - the days where he never had to fear for his life. A tale following one British transfer student's life after he moves into Namimori, and just how much he effects those around him. Warnings: Contains Slash, occasional bad language, and RyoheixMale!OC. R
1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time in a not so ordinary place, a young boy arrived by train into the small, picturesque town of Namimori. Happy couples were cheerfully going about their day – forgoing any and all regards for their own safety in there reckless obliviousness. Hundreds of birds flocking together, basking in the sun's rays as they laze the days away: unaware of the looming chaos that was sure to come. Even the local flora was not unscathed by the town's deceptively tranquil atmosphere: evident in the almost languid swaying of the branches in the spring breeze. All in all, it almost seemed as if it belonged in a fairy tale.

Keyword there being 'almost'.

Like everywhere else in the world, there were some obvious negatives when people talk about Namimori. First of all, there was a flourishing underworld, a tyrannical disciplinary leader, abuse of all kinds everywhere. Sadly for our 'new-comer', he doesn't know of all this – how is he? After all, he has just arrived in the country, and has come to stay with his 'host' family. Not 'host' as in 'OHSHC', but 'host' as in 'family that will take you in for a long time so you can experience the culture' host.

This leads us to the crux of the situation: the new-comer. He stood, alone and lost in the expansive Namimori Train Station, awaiting his 'host' to pick him up. The Caucasian adolescent was milling about, looking hastily through his many bags, checking to see if all his belongings were still there. Rummaging into the back-pack in his side, he pulled out his comb. He set to work on his long, mid-back length hair, trying to get the messy ginger strands into some semblance of a style.

And failing. Miserably.

Sighing, he flicked through the letter that sent him here, duly noting the bolded 'Sawada' in angry block capitals. He will be staying in that house-hold for at least three years, so it was a good idea to be reasonably friendly with the owners of the house. Stretching his tired muscles and moving around seemed to be a good idea, so that he could wake-up slightly. Noticing the strange looks he was getting, he decided to approach the (hopefully) friendliest of them all.

"Hi, my name is Ivy Alex; can you tell me about the town – like what the good tourist sites are, and what the town's speciality is?" He spoke to the friendly, albeit somewhat generic woman. Sadly, all he got was a blank look before he realised his mistake.

He spoke in English. Extremely fast English.

Sighing, he reached into the ruby red backpack at his side and pulled out an 'English-Japanese' dictionary, and searched through it.

"Where is it…where is it…AHAH!" Scouting out the correct combination of words (Lord knows he didn't need to make a social faux-pas by asking if they would bear his children or something), he eagerly repeated his question to the rather bemused woman. Understanding dawned on her face before she walked off, beckoning with a look that said 'follow', towards a stand in the nearby wall. Pulling out a pen, she took a map of Namimori out of the stand and circled a couple areas on it.

With a deep bow he cheerfully said 'Arigatou gozaimasu' before hurrying back to his luggage. The clock nearby said that it was 12:30 – someone should be picking him up around now. Taking the time to look at the areas the woman circled, Alex checked to see where he should go first. It was either go grab something to eat at popular restaurants like 'Takesushi' or 'Pizza', which made Japanese and Western style meals respectively. Or he could go explore the culture and visit the shrines that the friendly woman had circled, like 'Namimori Shrine'.

"Which one…" Alex pondered, juggling the positive and negatives. Well, if he visited a restaurant, he could get something to eat and taste the local cuisine. But if he went to the shrines he could learn about the general history and culture of the area. Sighing, he decided to just leave it to his 'host', who should be here right about…

"Ivy-San~."

…now. Alex shot up, looking out for who said his name. Scouring the crowd, he came to a stop on a cheerful looking woman making her way towards him. She wasn't tall, but she was definitely taller than him – she stood at 5ft1 whilst he stood at 4ft9 – and was a brunette.

"She seems…airheaded?" he thought with raised eyebrows as she rushed towards him with a blinding smile. Throwing caution to the wind, he decided to pick up his bags and meet her halfway.

Leading to a very large collision in the middle of the street. Not the most pleasant experience in the world. Believe me.

"Who are you?" With a hopefully pleasant smile, he brushed himself off as he picked up his luggage.

"I'm Sawada Nana, but you can call me Mama~" She beamed, spawning sparkles into existence as she did so. Blinking owlishly, Alex decided to not comment on it, in fear that he may not want to know how she did it. Pleasant conversation built up as they made their way to her house, with them both asking questions and firing off answers in a way that was almost like 20 questions, except not twenty questions.

"Who else will be there" With trusty dictionary/phrasebook in hand, he repeated.

"Just me and my son~."

Flick through.

"Your Son?"

"He's your age, and will be attending the same school as you."

"Really?" He didn't even need the book for that one.

"Yup. Anywhere you want to go to first?" She enquired.

Taking a moment to think, he realised that he was better off not going anywhere today, and just stay at the Sawada residence and settle in first so that he can get a better grasp on the language. After all, what good would it be if he couldn't speak to people?

"No thank you, I would rather practice my speaking skills" and get rid of the damnable books. He wouldn't need to long to get his old knowledge back. Hopefully. His kanji reading skills didn't get hit too much, so all he has to do is read all his old notes on the language and he should be up-to-snuff by the end of it.

"Ok dear, just don't work too hard. You must be so tired after coming all the way from the UK" She smiled a smile tempered with motherly steel. It doesn't seem as if she was going to take no for an answer.

"I'll try." Keyword there being try, but she doesn't need to know that.

"Ooooh, we're here~." She was clearly excited, if her sing-song voice was indicative of anything. In front of us was a quaint, humble house imprinted with the kanji for 'Sawada' on the outside. It looked like the rest of the houses on the outside, fitting the bill for a 'cookie-cutter' house. Hopefully the inside would be different. Entering inside, she gave me the 'tour' of the house. The hallway led off to the kitchen, which was just like every other kitchen in the world, and at the far end of the hallway was a small bathroom. Upstairs was where all the bedrooms were, and she shown me Tsuna's room.

It was a dump. An absolute mess. A clean-freaks nightmare. Clothes and underwear littered the room, the desk was a mess and you could see the obvious dust everywhere. He shivered, hoping that his room was nothing like that. He must off been talking out-loud, as she giggled at it.

"Don't worry, your room isn't like that, I've just not gotten round to cleaning it yet." She said, seemingly ever-present grin on her face. After one last disgusted look around the room, we headed off to our final destination. My room, otherwise known as the 'guest room'. The room was Spartan: a small coffee table was in the centre of the room, with a single underneath the window and a chestnut coloured wardrobe to the side that was filled with coat-hangers. The walls were a warm, creamy vanilla, nothing like the synthetic pearl of hospitals and seemed to radiate homeliness.

Actually, despite its appearance, the whole house seemed to radiate an aura of warmth and acceptance that would give even someone like '_Severus Snape_' the warm-and-fuzzies. It was that powerful.

With a flourish, she left to help carry the bags in - even if Alex tried to stop her – and started to help pack all his stuff away. Clothes were folded, books placed in the bookcase near to the desk, and all other unique items were put into a box that they lovingly dubbed 'The Box of Happy Endings'.

Why? Because there was things in there for every occasion. Whether it be pens or pencils, coins and notes and even 'Blu-tac' (which he took out to use later on that map), if you needed it, it was probably going to be in there. With a happy grin on his face, Alex asked the question that he was dreading, but felt that it needed to be asked.

"What will I be doing? Around the house?" He said in slow, halting Japanese, deciding to forgo his dictionary in favour of speaking it himself. The sooner he starts the sooner it ends, so the sooner the better.

"Umm... What do you mean?" She asked, clearly bewildered by him.

"Things like, umm, cleaning? Cooking? Stuff like that." He may be new to the country, but he refused to just be a lazy, good-for-nothing, stereotypical teenager.

"Nope, there is no need. You just enjoy staying here and that's more than enough~.' She cheerfully announced in her typical, happy-go-lucky tone of voice.

Oh no. She is so not going to be backing out of this one.

"I insist! It just wouldn't feel right if I did none of the work. You simply must allow me to help." He replied, unwilling to do nothing around the house. If he didn't have anything to do around the house then he doesn't know what he would do. She sighed in exasperation, before pondering on what to do. Though soon afterwards her head shot up, an idea clear all over her face.

"I know! You could help around the kitchen, and come with me when I go shopping. That way you can get to know the area better, and help me out as well"

Well, it was the best he was going to get, even if he himself wished to do more. With a grin on his face, he accepted the offer, and watched her grin happily before checking the time. Curious himself, he mimicked her actions.

It was 2:30.

Alarmed at the time, she shot up and ran out of the room, declaring that she needed to go shopping. Leaving Alex, and the rest of his luggage, alone in the house. With nothing else to do but wait for her to get back, he quickly packed away his equipment, and went to lie down in his new bed. Pulling out a brand-new journal out of 'The Box of Happy Endings', he set to work writing out the first of many journal entries.

Thinking up a quick name for the journal was important – it would be really weird to have to write 'Dear Diary' or whatever. 'Sexy Tiemz' seemed to be a bit strange, and the "Happy Ending Book" seemed to be a bit too unoriginal for his taste. Deciding to save it for later, he set to work writing it out.

_**Dear ….. (Nameless, for now :D)**_

_**Date: 24/04/2013 Objectives: Relax and Plot (General introduction)**_

_**Hello, I'm honestly not too sure on how to do this sooooooo I'll just wing it. Why not, what's the worst that could happen? It's not as if anyone else is ever going to read this, so it'll just be me and you together forever! Doesn't that sound AMAYZING! LIKE SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME!**_

_**NO? Too bad. You're stuck with me. I will take it upon myself to tell you your role in this. You will be my private Confidante. Yes, that's meant to be capitalised. After all you will be the best of the best, you are mine after all. I'll be telling you all my thoughts and feelings, my opinion on certain people and all the information I have managed to gather in one day. **_

_**You'll be like the best information source-thing ever.**_

_**So be happy about it. I might as well use you for your actual purpose now I suppose, so read as I tell you what has been going on.**_

_**I arrived in Namimori today, quite a pretty place aesthetically, so there must be terrible, TERRIBLE things going on with the law. All the best looking places tend to have a large amount of corruption. It's in like ALL the video games. Like that whole game set in Spiral or whatever. **_

_**Anyway, I met my 'host' here. She's called Nana Sawada, and she is ridiculously nice. Just being around her makes me want to be nice back. Sadly, she's taller than me, but I probably have better hair. She has amber eyes, almost a coppery gold (if that is a thing) and is taller than me. I don't know how old she is, but I'm not about to ask, and I also am not going to ask about her weight.**_

_**It's just not done.**_

_**Apparently, she has a son (called Tsuna Sawada, or something like that, more on him later), and is taller than me.**_

_**Did I mention that she is taller than me? Because…she's taller than me. I'm not bitter about that, what gave you that idea? What? I'm better of shutting up?**_

_**Fine. See if I write in you again.**_

_**Hopefully her son will come back soon, I would so love to get more information on both of them but for now, I'm gonna lock this away. It wouldn't be a good thing if prying eyes managed to see this. And conveniently, the door's just opened. **_

_**I'm sort of hoping it's the elder Sawada, and not the younger, but I'm not betting on it. My luck is atrocious at the best of times.**_

_**I'll be back to write in this later, so there is no point signing out for the day, TTFN~**_

Placing the journal back into 'The Box of Happy Endings', Alex slowly stood up from the bed and stumbled his way towards the staircase. A young, (and admittedly) very cute boy was making his way into the kitchen from the hallway.

It was obvious as to who it was, as it certainly wasn't Nana-san. Smiling as serenely as possible, he made a distinct coughing sound – alerting the young boy that he was not alone in the house.

"Hello there. I do believe we haven't met before. How are you?"

For lack of a better phrase, the adolescent…screeched? And promptly collapsed in a undignified heap on the floor. With a calm smile, Alex scanned the (obviously) embarrassed youth before deciding that this boy must be the "Tsuna" Nana was referring to – it was obvious if you looked at him just how alike they are. They both share the same coloured hair and eyes; they were both short (but still somehow taller than him) and they had the same comforting aura that just shouted "I'll accept you, just accept me first"

Walking down the stairs towards the crumpled heap at the bottom, he decided to help the poor kid out and pretend that what he just witnessed didn't happen. Though Tsuna himself didn't know that, if his impressive blush had anything to do with it.

"Who… Who are you?" The brunette…whimpered? Sparkles bloomed in the background as the ultimate uke questioned why this seeming stranger was in his house.

"Isn't it customary to introduce yourself first? After all you are my host, but, in answer of your question, I am Ivy Alex"

"You host? Why am I your host? What are you doing in my house? And my name is Sawada Tsunayoshi" The brunette responded, his face uncharacteristically serious.

"Well, I'm an exchange student from the UK, your age and I currently know two languages, English and Japanese. I'm living her during my tenure as a transfer student, as your mother offered to act as my host whilst I stay here."

"So will you be going to my middle school then? It's Namimori Middle if you are wondering."

"Namimori? Then yes. I do believe I'll be in your class, considering I'm living with you for the moment." Seeking a respite from the questions, he searched for a conversation changer. He didn't know anything about Tsuna so…

"What do you like to do in your spare time?" Alex winced at that. Real smooth.

Tsuna himself looked bewildered, someone must obviously not be used to being asked about himself. He sputtered around, trying to say something about himself that wouldn't embarrass him in front of his new housemate. Finally calming down, he took a deep breath before replying to him.

"I like to read..." He muttered, clearly embarrassed. Sensing this, Alex yanked him up before dragging him upstairs. He sprinted past Tsuna's open room and Nana's locked one and leapt into his own. Leaving a stunned Tsuna in the doorway, he quickly opened one of his many suitcases and pulled out more books – the bookcase was forgotten in the background in favour of getting to the book he wanted.

Or more specifically, manga.

"You don't have to act all sophisticated, I have after all seen your room." He laughed, as Tsuna blushed.

"I'm sure you're more interested in manga than books. They are more interesting, after all. There is no need to be embarrassed by it, so stop blushing about it" He smirked. An idea sparked in his mind. A positively evil one that would be sure to even further embarrass the already embarrassed Tsuna. With an evil grin, he scooted even closer to him.

"So what are you into more?" He leaned on his shoulder

"E-Ehh?" Tsuna stuttered as he leans on him.

"Shounen-ai, or Shoujo-ai" Alex whispered.

"HIEEEEEEEEEEE"

Absolutely worth it.

* * *

Smirking mischievously, Alex re-entered his room and sat at his desk. Picking up the pen, he set to work finishing off his journal entry.

_**And I'm back. Hopefully you didn't miss me too much; I was having a conversation with Tsuna. He's a surprisingly interesting guy, considering he is a middle school-er (But hey, so am I, so I cannot exactly talk too much.)**_

_**He himself is sadly taller than me, as everyone else has been so far, which is kind of sad… Ahh well. From what I've gathered so far: he is easily embarrassed, clumsy yet remarkably perceptive – nothing like his mother, that's for sure. She's a certifiable air-head, but I like her anyway.**_

_**On the question of what type of manga he preferred, he…fainted. And he hasn't woken up yet. I dragged him to his room and manoeuvred him onto his bed. He is ridiculously heavy for his size… **_

_**Anyway, soon after Nana-san herself came back. I told her what happened and she let him sleep. She let me help out in the kitchen, but she only let me cut vegetables for the stir-fry she wanted to make. It is pretty simple to make, as all you have to do is throw a load of vegetables into a wok and go to town on it.**_

_**It was good, and I'll actually make it myself next time. I wonder if I should make my own packed lunch tomorrow, or if I should let Nana-san make it herself. I would feel better if I made it myself, though Nana-san is a really good cook, if I am to believe her.**_

_**Tomorrow I will be going to Namimori middle along with Tsuna in the morning, and I'm not looking forward to it. Sure, I'll try, but… I'm not going to find it interesting. I mean, it is school. I can take it seriously but I cannot derive enjoyment from it. Certain subjects yes. Maths? Not so much.**_

_**Maths is the bane of my existence, and it makes my mind melt. Literally, when it comes down to it, if I spend too long doing it my mind says no and revolts, killing unimaginable amounts of brain cells and destroying my general thought processes for the rest of the day.**_

_**It's that bad. DO NOT JUDGE ME SIR!**_

_**It has come to my attention that I've yet to tell you about myself. I am 4ft9, 14 years old and in class ? I have auburn hair that reaches my mid-back and a general affinity for the colour red. I want to be a government agent when I am older, and have been practicing for a while, but no one takes me seriously.**_

_**This journal is a way for me to practice, as it's a good way of keeping all my notes on people together and easily readable. That and I don't have to go to outside sources to get my information. See, I can be smart when I want to be.**_

_**Too bad that if anyone finds out about this then I'll never live it down. Even if I doubt that they'll even be able to read I, considering the fact that it's in English. **_

_**Anyway, plan for tomorrow is to find out more about Namimori and see if there is any other person of interest. Alongside this I need to get more information on my classmates, Nana-san and Tsuna. The amount of information on them is not acceptable, and I don't know if I can do anything at all with what I have at the moment. I just need to find a way of getting that information.**_

_**Anyway it's late – 10 o'clock to be precise – and I need to get prepared for tomorrow. I've set my alarm for six so I should be able to get up in time to write something down here, and get ready for school. I'll probably drag Tsuna out as well, considering Nana did clean his room after we ate and I do not want to be late for the first day of school.**_

_**This is goodnight then, and I'll write in you tomorrow. I do not know whether or not I'll take you to school but I'll decide when I wake up.**_

_**Signing out for the first time – Alex (The Best Information Expert/Spy Ever – AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT :P) Ivy.**_

_**P.S: There will be Emoticons. Don't hate on them because you don't have hands to draw them with :P.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 1, end.**_

_** And there you have it, the end of the first ever chapter of my first ever story. The only reason why I bothered to put it up was because I was inspired by Glasses and Spectacles' "Monochromatic Shades to Color", and Catgirl Kitsune's "Tripping through Reality". Go check them out if you like Male!Ocs like me :D**_

_**Anyway, generally this section will be used to respond to reviews (hint hint nudge nudge) and I love reading long ones. Constructive Criticism is preferable, and I'd love it if people tried to point out any plot holes, or have any questions on what's going on at the moment.**_

_**hope that whomever reads this will stick around, and until the next chapter, Ciao Ciao~**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Welp I'm sad that I don't have any reviews yet, but here is the next chapter. Chapter three wont be up tomorrow, but it will be on friday so I may actually get a review in that area of time lol. Anyway, without further ado, chapter two~**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters (except Alex :D), and KHR! belongs to Akira Amano.**

* * *

"Well that's not exactly the best way to start the day…" Alex trailed off, staring outside the window above his bed. The clouds were murky even in the morning, and rain was buffeting the roof in rhythmic staccato. Irony at its finest here, considering that it's only been a day since he's got here and it's already raining.

"I thought I would have escaped the rain by getting out of the UK. Guess like I was wrong…" Sighing, he got out of his warm, comfortable bed and made his way to his desk. Fully preparing himself to write in a brand new journal entry, he figured that he was better off actually getting ready for the day. After all, it was going to be his first day in Namimori Middle, so he was better off getting ready to make a good first impression. That and he wanted it to be memorable, considering it will be his first time stepping foot into a middle school. The educational system here is completely different then in the UK, as you have to go to middle school whereas in the UK you go straight to high school.

Standing up from his desk, he closed the unnamed journal and left, trudging downstairs to reach the kitchen. Checking the time, he realised that it was only 5:30 – he was hopelessly early. Setting to work on his breakfast, he raided the cupboards to see if there was anything he could cook for himself. Not recognising anything, he decided to just wait for Nana to wake up and start cooking and just ask her to teach him. Plan set, he decided to just do his general morning rituals in getting ready – the usual things people do: shower, blow-dry hair, style it and so on.

Y'know, just typical boy things.

* * *

Rummaging around in his red back-pack, he took out everything he didn't need for school. Drawings…Pictures…Old work… If he didn't need it, it was going. And in its place the essentials. Pencil cases were thrown in haphazardly, along with sticky notes, pads and stencils. Finishing up, he zipped up his bag and pulled out his uniform. There wasn't anything interesting to say about it, to be perfectly honest. It was just like any other Namimori uniform, sadly enough.

Putting the uniform on, insecurities finally started to set in, ricocheting around in his head. _Will he be able to make friends? Will he do well in studies? Bloody 'ell will he even like it there? _Questions that cannot be answered plagued his thoughts, before he eventually decided to metaphorically screw it and just do it.

"There's no point in thinking about it now and getting worried," he muttered, putting the doubts out of his mind until later, when he actually had the answers to them. Before exiting his room, Alex grabbed a brush and pocketed it.

_After all, you never know when you need a brush or a comb to smack someone in the back of the head with._

Knocking on Tsuna's door, he waited for a reply to let himself in. However, hearing none, he knocked again. There was still no answer. Quickly getting worried over this, Alex barged into the room, hoping against the odds that he had not left without him. Scanning the room for his prey, his eyes locked on the sleeping form lying spread-eagle on the bed.

_Oh. He hadn't gotten up yet_. He turned around to leave before double-taking.

_WAIT HE HADN'T GOTTEN UP YET!_

_It was almost time to leave_! Running up to the bed, he tried desperately to wake him up. He tried calling his name, shouting at him (which made him grumble a little bit) and even shaking him. Deciding that physical pain might do the trick, he looked around for anything he could hit him with that wouldn't hurt too much.

_Paper? No, too weak. Stab him with a pen? Would leave a mark. Brush? Could work, but that's only for idiots though…_

Quickly running out of ideas, he decided to do the most logical thing and drag him kicking and screaming out of bed. Noticing him finally start to wake up, he relented on tugging his hair and took to relentlessly poking him instead. Anything to get him to stay awake.

His eyes finally decided to open, and you can tell immediately what he was going to do. Mouth wide open, he screamed in fear of the face that was right in his own. Wincing in pain, Alex stumbled backwards in pain, landing on his backside. Staring at the heavily breathing boy, he looked ready for murder. Eyebrow twitching, he was about to show why he was so mad to the clueless boy.

"Tsuna-kun… WHAT TIME DO YOU THINK IT THIS IS! WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE LEAVING THE HOUSE NOW AND ON OUR WAY TO SCHOOL," Breathless, rage was evident as he tried to calm down. The sleepy boy, otherwise known as the source of Alex's ire, 'HIEEEEEE'D' once again, before running around his room madly in search of his uniform. Launching the running boy's polo shirt at the back of his head, accidently making him trip up, as his feet got caught up in his trousers.

Sighing he left the room, but not before telling the rushing adolescent that he'll get his breakfast sorted out and grab his bento's. Briskly walking towards the kitchen, he sat down with Tsuna's plate, and piled on some omelettes and toast.

"What are you doing? Tsuna isn't down yet to start eating?" Nana asked, confused.

"Good morning to you too. Oh and I am getting Tsuna's breakfast ready for him, so we aren't late. Am I allowed to bring the plate with me and give it back when we get in from school? Just so we aren't late for it." Alex let out in a long burst as he bustled around the room, plate held firmly with one hand as he aimed for the stairs.

"Oh it's fine, as long as you bring it back without it being damaged." She smiled reassuringly, before moving over to the cupboards and plucking out some cling-film. Tossing it at Alex with a soft smile, she laughed as he stumbled from the hit.

"Before you ask, it's for when you are done. Just wrap it up and give it to me later on." Smiling with gratitude, he continued on his way to the stairs to wait at the foot of them for Tsuna to arrive. Luckily he did not have to wait long, as the boy in question literally fell down the stairs, landing in a crumpled heap by his foot. Not wasting any time, he yanked him up and handed the bewildered boy the plate with his breakfast on.

"Umm…thanks" He whispered with gratitude, tucking into his breakfast as the duo made their way to the front door. Leaving the house, the two started the trek towards Namimori Middle in the pouring rain, with Tsuna in the lead and Alex following close behind, covering them both with his red umbrella.

"To get to the school, we pretty much just go in a straight line, and make a right. We just carry on down that road and make one more turn left, and we are there" Tsuna instructed, managing to drop his perpetual stuttering in favour of being understandable. Alex followed his every move, making a personal note to keep track on everything Tsuna is saying at the moment – after all it wouldn't fo to get lost on the way to school.

"Is that all? I just assumed that it would be really far away, and that I would easily get lost or something." Alex replied.

_So that's it? That's all I have to do? I should off just asked Nana on where to go then and left by myself. _

Continuing on their way with mindless chatter, they followed the described path, ending up in front of Namimori middle. Students were mulling around outside, talking to their friends in their own little groups as a few rebels hung outside. The gates stood tall, split open down the middle to allow entrance inside and the building itself looked immaculately clean. No litter, or graffiti lined the pathway inside, and the sakura trees were in full bloom, even in this weather. Inside was much the same. The floors, ceiling and walls were sterile, and the atmosphere was just like any other middle school – filled with the sound of students. Walking up to the reception desk that sat off to the side of the main entrance, they decided to find out just where he would be placed for lessons.

"Pardon me. Excuse me miss but could you do me a favour?" Alex asked, knocking on the glass separating them to get the woman's attention. She was tall, approximately two feet larger than Tsuna and wore the stereotypical secretary outfit – white top, grey blazer with a pencil skirt and high heels. It made her look more like a slut then attractive, which was what she was obviously going for.

"Yes? What is it?" She replied, saccharine smile pasted on her face, whilst she looked at Tsuna disdainfully.

"Could you please tell me what class I am in? I'm new to the school, and I only arrived in Japan yesterday," Alex asked, speaking instead of Tsuna, though he was ignored in favour of Tsuna. Hearing the bell ring, he then turned to Tsuna and sent him off to class, saying that he will go to class after he gets this done.

"Okay then, I'll see you whenever" Tsuna said, rushing off to his lesson. With that done he turned back to the receptionist and reiterated the question, this time actually getting a response out of her now that Tsuna wasn't around.

"Oh? That's nice. You're in class…2-A." She said, voice patronising as she stared at him.

"Hmm? Cool. Now where is it?"

"Second floor, room A"

"Ok thanks bye."

Suffice to say he ran for his life.

* * *

_Okay is everything ready? Hair looks immaculate, uniform is perfect and my glasses are tucked into my upper pocket with my pens. I am so ready to make that first impression._ Alex smirked, looking himself over one last time before knocking on his assigned class. Waiting for the call to enter, he listened out for it and after hearing it, entered the classroom.

Walking towards the front of the desk, he stood in front of the class as the teacher introduced him to them.

"Hello, I'm Ivy Alex, but please call me Alex. As the teacher stated, I am on an exchange trip from the United Kingdom. It's a pleasure to meet you all." With the introduction said and done, he made his way over to his designated seat, next to a white-haired boy who was currently fast asleep, and the window.

The lesson itself seemed to be about English – so he pretty much didn't have to do anything for the rest of the hour. With nothing better to do with his time he pulled out his plain journal, which had yet to be named, and set to work writing out the start of his journal entry for today.

_**Dear…. (Still Nameless)**_

_**Date 25/04/13 Objectives: Make friends/Join a club/Gather information.**_

_**HELLOOO AGAIN MY DEAREST CONFIDANTE~ :DDDD. I'm currently writing in you whilst I'm in class. My, don't you feel special, after all I'm wasting valuable learning time to speak to you, so be grateful. After all, I am the only person who speaks to you, so that automatically makes me you're bestest friend and greatest enemy – it's how life goes. It's a thing; you don't know you're a book. :P**_

_**You may see that one of my objectives today is to join a club. That will be a thing when I see someone interesting to follow. Like Tsuna. Or this guy next to me who is fast asleep. He seems to be the only interesting one in the class, as everyone else here just seems to be boring. That and he has white hair.**_

_**WHITE…. HAIR! I mean, who has white hair in school that (obviously must be) natural. I mean, how else would he be allowed it in middle school, considering how there are tonnes of rules that must be followed whilst in the educational system in Japan. It's a wonder that I managed to keep my ginger hair long, and I don't know why I didn't get caught…**_

_**Strange.**_

_**Anyway, when he gets up I'm going to talk to him and get to know him for a bit. See what he likes and stuff, so generic friend stuff. Ughhh I'm so not used to this. I mean, I'm not a big fan of the whole 'friends' things, considering I don't usually have very many. But they do not know that, and that's how it will stay.**_

_**Maybe one day I'll tell you why I accepted that transfer student thing. But not today. It will be something to tide you over until we part ways.**_

_**And I don't mean part ways as in 'I'M DYING SO I'LL NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN T.T' but a part ways where I replace you for a new journal when you are filled up to the brim. Wow, when I put it that way it seems as if I hate you, but I WUV YOU WEALLY! OH YES I DO 3!**_

_**No, seriously, I'm not lying. **_

_**But that is beside the point. The point is the guy next to me is my ticket to a whole bunch of information, and a lot of connections so I'm going to treat him like so. That means I'll make him my friend, and actually be nice to him.**_

_**Amazing isn't it.**_

…_**well, I do not have much else to say at the moment, other than 'Operation: Friend' is live and going smoothly. I'll report back later with more information about what happened.**_

_**So until then, TTFN, and don't miss me too much.~**_

* * *

Checking the time, Alex belatedly realised that there was only five minutes left of the lesson, and everyone in the class assumed that you were taking notes all day. Checking on the guy next to him, who had still yet to wake up, he decided to nudge him up so the teacher doesn't get mad when he realises.

"Pardon me, sir… sir… _sir… _Are you going to get up any time soon?"

No response.

Sighing in exasperation, he flicked the boy's forehead, waking him up with the pain. Noticing he was about to say something, Alex quickly forced a hand over his mouth to stop him. Placing his spare finger over his mouth, he made the universal sign for '_shut it or we are going to suffer', _hoping that he would get the message.

Luckily enough, he did, and they were not noticed. Deeming it safe, Alex removed his hand over the boy's mouth and turned back around to the teacher, not noticing the fact that Ryohei was blushing in embarrassment over what he just did. The teacher at the front was prattling on about tenses, and when they are used. Deciding to listen for a bit, he waited until the bell rung and they were given homework before actually going to talk to the still unknown boy.

When the teacher left the classroom, he turned to the boy, hell-bent on introducing himself to him.

"Hello, sorry about before but I needed you to be quiet so as not to alert the teacher. After all, we would have got in trouble if he noticed. Anyway, the name is Ivy Alex, what's yours" He smiled as the boy in question got excited.

"_**EXTREME! **_My name is Ryohei Sasagawa, captain of the Boxing Club in Namimori Middle. We need someone like you in our boxing club!" The now known boy roared out, leaning close up to Alex's face.

_Wait what? Step-back a second. Me – long haired, small (RYOHEI IS A FREAKING GIANT), hardly any muscle mass – in the __**BOXING CLUB.**_

_**Obviously I am going to join!**_

"Ok, sure, I'll join. Who else is in it?" He asked, if only for austerities sake. Ryohei immediately brightened up, even more so than before when he introduced himself.

"I'll take you to the club room during lunch, and we can train to the _**EXTREME!"**_ He jumped up, pumping his fists up and down, before starting to shadow box in the middle of the class. The rest of the class ignored it, even if he was right in the centre of everyone's sight.

Shaking his head, Alex watched in amusement as he literally nearly knocked someone out by accident. It certainly seems like it won't be boring, especially with Ryohei around to act like a miniature sun and radiate energy.

Wishing to spend more time talking to Ryohei, Alex fervently hoped lunch would come round quicker.

Time seemed to go by at a snail's pace, until that glorious bell finally rung out. Students flocked out of the classroom in droves, led by Ryohei Sasagawa as he dragged Alex down to the boxing room. Placing a dazed Alex down somewhere with surprising gentleness, he made his way towards the equipment in the back. Hanging up an extremely heavy boxing bag filled with sand, he set to work punching it into oblivion.

Deciding to sit back and watch, Alex sat nearby watching as he beat it up, watching in awe as he completely and utterly destroyed the boxing bag. Watching as it fell down, he realised it hadn't even been thirty seconds before it fell down, shocking him immensely. If his fists contained that much power…

Deciding to see the limit of those punches. He called out for Ryohei to stop. It seemed like he forgot he was there, as he looked remarkably sheepish when he noticed him.

"SORRY FOR FORGETTING ABOUT YOU, BUT SPEAK UP MORE" He literally shouted. Seeing as that could get annoying quickly, Alex quickly made to stop it by covering his mouth with his hand.

"Ryohei-Kun, you don't need to shout. After all it's just us two here anyway." Alex smirked, amused at him. Leaving a blushing Ryohei behind, he made his way to the arena in the middle of the room. Getting inside the ring, he turned back around, facing Ryohei once more.

"ALEX! What are you doing in there? Do you want to Box? I thought you didn't…"Ryohei rambled, firing questions at the bemused Alex like a machine-gun before being cut-off once more by Alex.

"I just thought that you might want to train against someone who could move faster than a bag… I don't box but I can certainly move around fast when I need to." He offered, and before he could blink he was in the arena, ready and prepared in his boxing gear.

"Let's start then. EXTREME FIGHT!" He cried out, before dashing towards the stunned Alex. Regaining his composure, he jumped to the left barely avoiding the punch. He was quickly on the defensive, as Ryohei rampaged, clearly dominating the arena.

Jumping away from him, Alex danced around the next blow before kicking outwards with his feet. Ryohei blocked this before throwing a punch at his face. Seeing no way out of this, he manoeuvred one arm to cover his face as his arm shook from the contained force in the fist.

_Ouch _he thought, wincing as his arm shook from the blow. Shaking it off, he used his captured foot as leverage to kick him in the face. Shock briefly covered his face, but he was prepared enough to catch it in his hand.

Leaving them both in a stalemate, but Ryohei had the clear advantage over Alex ,as he could move his feet whereas Alex couldn't.

A seemingly uncharacteristic smirk graced Ryohei's face as a twinkle appeared in his eye.

"Guess like I win, to the EXTREME!" He cheered, before dropping the feet caught in his hands. Alex landed with an 'ommph', pouting as he landed on his backside.

"Maybe next time" he said, seeing the disappointment on Alex's face. With a gleeful smile he jumped on Ryohei, locking him in a hug and an inappropriate position. Not that they noticed or anything, what with him looking lost on the floor as he was being hugged by Alex, and Alex being busy doing the hugging.

"What's this for? Why do I get an EXTREME HUG" He looked down on the kid in his arms with a exuberant smile on his face.

"No reason," he muttered in reply, before looking up at him.

"You don't need a reason to hug someone you know" Yawning, he got up of the surprisingly comfy Ryohei and made his way towards the door.

"We should get back to lesson now, we don't want to be late do we" Walking out the boxing room, they left, rushing towards there next class as the bell rang.

* * *

_**Omg**__**. Omg. OMG.**_

_**Anyway, its late night and I decided to finish off this entry before the clock strikes 12. After all, I can't just leave a journal entry unfinished can I? That's like against all the rules, which we can't have now can we?**_

_**That boy I was on about is called Ryohei Sasagawa, and he is ridiculously tall, and towers over me. But he seems really fascinating, and I cannot wait to learn more about him. What I've learnt so far is that he is a boxing fanatic, but I don't know why. He is stupidly strong for his age, and when it comes to fights can be quite smart, which was shown when he disabled me with only a few moves **_

_**He's also really huggable, like a giant teddy bear and if you don't me saying it he is very attractive. I'm surprised that he hasn't got his own stalker/fan-club yet like that Takeshi kid that I heard some girls talk about on the way home with Tsuna.**_

_**I managed to return that plate to Nana without it being damaged, so I wasn't in trouble with her over that. She seemed disappointed that I was not in Tsuna's class. But what can you do? It's not as if I can change my own age or something, so don't even suggest it.**_

_**But something else happened before.**_

_**Okay, so I was upstairs before doing my homework when my only contact on my new phone decided to text me about the English homework, asking for help on it. I obviously helped Ryohei out, as what friend would I be if I didn't? But that's not the important thing. Afterwards, he sent me his house address and an offer to jog with him in the morning.**_

_**I obviously accepted and asked Nana whereabouts it is. She told me that all I had to do to get there is run to the park and head east until I get there. Pretty easy to follow. The only bad thing about this is that I need to get up at 5o'clock in the morning to get there on time.**_

_**Ughh! I really need to get to bed if I'm to make it on time. Anyway, I'm off now to bed, so don't miss me to much :D.**_

_**Goodnight :D, **_

_**Signed: Alex (Man-On-A-Mission-With-Amazing-Hair) Ivy.**_

_**P.S: I know you're jealous of my hands cause you ain't got any.**_

* * *

Chapter 2 Fin~

And that's that Chapter 2 complete. As I stated before, this is the review corner, but nobody reviewed so it's empty. Lol anyway, this chapter was a pain to write, considering it took me an HOUR to get the classroom, before I decided to screw it and make one up. Yes, I used creative licence with Ryohei's age, but we dont know as much about him compared to every other guardian, oh well.

Anyways, the next chapter will be up Friday as I am busy tomorrow and wouldn't be able to spend as much time on it.

So until next time, adios~


	3. Chapter 3

Alex dashed downstairs, decked out in running gear in preparation for training with Ryohei. Pulling out a notepad from his bag, he whipped out a pen and jotted a quick note for Nana informing her where he was. Grabbing his already prepared bentos for both himself and Ryohei, he grabbed a slice of toast and dashed out the house. The early spring air was refreshing, and surprisingly not cold – making it the perfect condition for a run. Jogging towards the park that Nana told him to go to; he looked around for the street name.

_Sakura Street… Nope, that is not it… _He thought, reading the street names as he passed in a light jog. Passing the next couple of paths before arriving near the park, he stopped, scanning the area. It was almost tranquil, without a soul in sight. Even if the playground looked abandoned, and as a result unnerving, there was a certain charm to being there alone. Turning back, he carried onwards, heading quietly through.

Quickly spotting the street he was looking for (dubbed 'Taiyo Street', his mind supplied), he dashed off to the Sasagawa residence, where Ryohei was waiting for him. Noticing the golden plaque with the kanji for 'Sasagawa' engraved on the outside; he slowed down until eventually coming to a stop in front of it, panting in exhaustion. Taking a moment to regain his composure from the mad sprint, all that he could think about was how out of shape he was.

It certainly showed, as he was currently an undignified heap on the floor at the moment.

After getting his breathing under control, he pulled up the sleeve for his jacket and checked the time on his watch. Seeing that he had time to spare, he absentmindedly started to brush his hair, as he walked down the pathway to knock on the door. After knocking on the door, he patiently waited for someone to answer it, leaning on the door. Feeling his mind drift, he started to review everything he learnt so far, and how much his life has changed after moving in to his host house.

And how much further it will evolve, and what may be or won't occur. Mulling it over, he decided to just push it out of his mind. After all, in his opinion, what's the point of worrying over something that he has literally no control over? Halfway through mentally berating himself, he did not notice the heavy footsteps on the other side of the door, and didn't notice the fact that his current place of rest had momentarily disappeared from behind his back.

But he did notice the fact that he was currently falling at a relatively high speed, quickly becoming closely acquainted with the Sasagawa household's laminated floor.

_Joy. Just what I needed. Our first meeting outside of school to be like this. Him being in nothing but his underwear and me on the floor – and not in the good way either._

Bemoaning his existence, he took note of Ryohei's blank face, and when no helping hand was forthcoming climbed up steadily. Steadying himself, he ran the brush that was still in his hand through his hair, trying to get it back into some semblance of order. Seeing he was fighting a losing battle, he decided to give up, before meeting the oddly silent Ryohei's blank gaze. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, he decided to see just what was going on inside Ryohei's head.

"What? Is there something on my face?" He questioned, perturbed by Ryohei's out-of-character actions. A silent, expressionless Ryohei is not the Ryohei everyone knows and loves.

"Why are you at my house, Alex-kun?"

Alex's face soon met the floor. Again. Why does he get the feeling that with Ryohei around, that will be an all-too-familiar sensation?

The things he puts up with…

* * *

After getting his composure back together, and forcing Ryohei to get dressed into something decent whilst getting all his stuff ready, they finally got on with what they arranged to do – date. _Well, train, but its close enough to it that it could be. They are almost the same thing: they're alone, spending time together outside, without any outside interference…_

Getting his thoughts back on track, he decided to put into words a thought has been plaguing him ever since they started the exercise. Since he was flagging behind a bit, he sped up to stay level with him, before voicing his question.

"Ryohei… How long does this usually take? Because we have been jogging for quite a while now and we need to go to school today…" He trailed off, watching the plethora of emotions dash through his face, before settling on one certain emotion – shock. He paled significantly, before doing a 180 and sprinting back the way we came. Leaving Alex staring at his back in awe, before he started to follow behind doggedly.

"RY-RYOHEI! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING! WE'LL BE LATE!" He cried out at the steadily disappearing figure, before speeding up so as to not lose sight of him. Who knows what would happen if you left him unattended, or whether you'll even see him again.

"GETTING READY FOR SCHOOL! EXTREME SPEED ENGAGED!" He roared, promptly disappearing around a corner.

_How the... HOW THE… WHAT? HOW? HNGHHH. Where did he go? What did he even do? Why is he so fast? I need to catch up to him pronto, otherwise I'll be lost in the middle of Namimori. Not how I want to spend my morning at all. _He picked up the pace, not willing to let him stay out of sight. Sprinting around the corner, he followed the path of destruction left in the wake of Ryohei's extreme-ness, allowing him to catch up to him.

Eye-sight melted, dissolving into tunnel-vision. All he could see was what was in front of him, leaving it up to his body to keep working, focusing intently on the fact that he has to stick with Ryohei. As a result of this temporary obliviousness, it left him open to acts of pure recklessness and simple stupidity that was shown when he just barely dodged being run over by a car. And shown once again when he ran into Ryohei's stationary back, landing roughly on his backside with a wince. Again.

"Why have you stop-" He started, before roughly being cut off by a large hand over his mouth. All Ryohei did in response was shush him when he started to grumble, and point towards an alleyway. Inside the alleyway, were a few third-years bullying a few first years, presumably for no reason if the victim's whimpers were anything to go by. The men seemed to be a part of Namimori Middle's Disciplinary Committee; if there armbands were the real things.

It was pretty obvious, if you knew Ryohei, just what he wanted to do: save the day. Even Alex knew, and he had only known him for a day. Alex himself would prefer to stay out of t and let the proper authorities know so that they could sort it out, but if the so-called 'Disciplinary Committee', a service meant to stop bad behaviour, is abusing their power by assaulting kids…

Guess like they do have to save him – no one else will. Sighing at the inevitability of the situation, he lifted his eyes to meet Ryohei's – which were staring at him in silence, waiting for him to come to the same conclusion as he did. Nodding minutely, he waited until Ryohei removed his hand before continuing the conversation.

"We… Have to do something about this, the behaviour is deplorable," Alex muttered, wary of making too much noise in case they hear their stealthy approach. The question was how to go about doing it: to use a pre-emptive strike or a direct confrontation. Pondering this, he analysed the odds of the situation.

Hypothetical situation 'A', they go in guns blazing, taking down as many as possible - giving the kid enough time to get to school. This would most likely cause the most harm to Team Ryohei, but would most likely endear them to him. Then he would go talk about it with the teachers and harm the 'disciplinarians', helping everyone a lot more. Considering there is ten men, a surprisingly large amount considering who it is they are targeting, if they are trained they'll have problems. But as it seems that they are not, there won't be too much of a problem.

Now for hypothetical situation 'B', in which they take the less-than-honest approach of surprise attacking them whilst they are tormenting the kid. Whilst there will most likely be less injuries, the kid will probably hate them forever, as they just watched as they bullied him violently. The more he thought about it, the less and less right that option seems. They would after all be using the kid to take down the bullies. Mentally crossing off this option, he decided to screw it and let the two of them go all out.

Preparing to tell Ryohei the plan, he was too little too late as Ryohei was already attacking the first thug viciously, knocking him out with a powerful uppercut. Turning to the next thug, he threw a couple of jabs before unleashing a punishing Haymaker. Whilst he was doing this, the other thugs were making their way over there to attack him whilst his back was turned. Not about to let this happen, he looked around for anything to fight with.

Picking up a battered pipe and a trash-can lid to use as a make shift shield, he leapt forward to cover his back. Staring at the closest thug, he didn't have any time to think before he was on him, raining down punches. Manoeuvring around the fist, he bashed the side of the metal lid on the man's face, dazing him and sending him to his knees. Using his bent over body as a spring-board, he leapt into the air and brought the battered pipe down on one of the remaining members head, knocking him clean out.

Unfortunately, as he was unused to fighting, he was unable to regain his balance him time, leaving him open to a powerful kick to the stomach from a nearby foe. The air knocked clean out of him, he dropped the pipe in favour of cradling his wounded stomach. If he was alone, this would of spelt the end of him, as he could be finished off immediately after. But, he wasn't alone, and Ryohei was more than enough to finish the last two guys with a few well-placed punches.

Taking the offered hand, he got up, using Ryohei as support. Balancing himself, he re-equipped the dropped pipe, wielding it like a short sword. Only two remained from the onslaught, the two unknowns picked off by Ryohei whilst Alex was busy being attacked and shown themselves as cowards as they ran for the hills. Taking a deep breath inwards in an attempt of alleviating the pain in his gut, he turned a breath look to the awestruck kid. Walking towards him, Ryohei leant down to check if there was anything else wrong with him, other than the light cuts on his arms.

"Hey kid, are you extremely okay?" Ryohei questioned, fretting over the kid's wellbeing. The kid turned glittering eyes towards him, and suddenly hugged him, crying happy tears into his shoulder.

"THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! You were all like 'EXTREME' and she was all like 'BASH' and then you saved her from the bad guys. Anyway, I need to get to school. Bye awesome dude, bye pretty lady, I'll be sure to tell all my friends about this?" The kid cried out, talking animatedly and mimicking what happened in the fight with humorous body language before dashing off, heading towards his school.

Smiling fondly as the kid faded from sight, he turned to follow Ryohei before freezing.

"Ryohei… I have a question"

"Shoot"

"Did… Did I just get called a 'pretty lady' by a kid?" He asked, dreading the answer. Ryohei paused, before a manic grin cost his face before he erupted into hysterics.

"HE DID! I'm the EXTREME(!) BOXER, so you must be the PRETTY LADY" The colour drained from his face as Ryohei sunk into even deeper hysterics, before face-planting in the middle of the street.

"I don't want to get up… SO…. EMBARRASSED" He moaned, before being picked up by Ryohei and slung over his shoulder like a pack of potatoes.

"Come, pretty lady, LET THIS EXTREME BOXER CARRY YOU TO SAFETY" He gallantly roared, before running the rest of the way to his house, Alex pouting the whole way.

Oh well, at least he got a good view of Ryohei's butt.

* * *

_**Dear Unown. (Ehh, Ehh, see what I did there? I made a pun. What? You don't like it? Sir, you need to get a sense of humour, you are my journal after all)**_

_**Date: 26/04/13 Objectives: IDK School, maybe?**_

_**Before I begin, I've just had Maths. Let's have a moment of silence for all the brain cells lost in this horrific tragedy. Wait for it. Wait for it. Waitttttttt. Done. All of you will not be forgotten.**_

_**Now, on to what's been going on today, and BOY HAS IT BEEN INTERESTING. So, like I'm sitting here in English, obvs listening out for that announcement on Homework cause the teachers weird like that. Anyways, I went over to Ryohei's early in the morning, I told you why yesterday, and it was both a disaster and a success.**_

_**A success because, overall, it was pretty damn good, and I feel as if I'm closer to Ryohei now. Plus, I now know I want to learn how to use a short sword and shield Soul Calibur style, it works well against enemies' lol, as shown when I kicked some thug butt with a pipe and a trash can lid. You are so impressed; I can see it on your non-existent face. I was like 'BOING' and 'BASH' and 'BURN'. It was pretty damn amazing, take my word for it.**_

_**But you are asking, how was it a disaster? A catastrophe? Well, my face met the floor three times, Ryohei forgot about sending me the text, I got kicked in the stomach by a thug of all things and got called a 'pretty lady' by a young boy who was going to spread it around that he was saved by a 'awesome dude' and a 'pretty lady'. Emphasis on the 'pretty lady' comment. I mean seriously, I don't know whether or not to take it as a compliment or an insult, which is so depressing.**_

_**And then I was carried like a sack of potatoes by the 'EXTREME BOXER' (His words, not mine), and dragged me over to his house whilst he got changed into my school uniform. We were late to school, but 'The Devil of Namimori' wasn't around to "bite us to death", or whatever it is he does in his spare time. At least I got to stare at his butt for a bit (Ryohei's, not Hibari's! I've not even seen Hibari yet pervert journal :P)**_

_**Hmm? What's that? You want to know how we got into school without getting into trouble. **_

_**Well, to be honest, all I said was that I got lost and Ryohei came to find me, as he was the only person's number I had. The idiots ACTUALLY fell for it! I know, they are realllllly gullible, almost to the point of being oblivious to the truth, which is really scary. I worry about them sometimes…**_

_**Anyway, I seriously need to replicate the characters fighting style and work on my footwork. Soon I'll be dancing around my enemies and stabbing them where it hurts. With my sword~.**_

_**Anyway, I won't be back later, so this one will be a really short journal entry today. I didn't really learn anything that I didn't know before, other than everyone in Namimori (well at least adult) are complete and utter fools, and that the Disciplinary Committee is a corrupt, self-serving organisation that is out to get the rest of the world. Plus, Ryohei is really strong. He knocked a guy out in one punch. He's that tough.**_

_**Anyway, as I said before, I won't be replying later and I have too much homework to do to fill in this journal tonight. If anything interesting crops up, I'll make a note of it and slip it in tomorrow, so there won't be a large gap in information or anything.**_

_**Lol, cya later~**_

_**Signed, Alex (WHO-IS-NOT-A-LADY)Ivy.**_

_**P.S: SC4 characters, not the other incarnations.**_

* * *

Teenagers flocked in droves, rushing out of the school gates in a mad dash to get home. Walking up to the gates, Alex and Ryohei made small talk before they had to part ways, going in separate directions. Waiting for Tsuna to arrive, he leaned against the wall, closing his eyes to block out the sun's rays. He needed a way to get a weapon, and fast, so that he can start training with it and master it. The only problem was who would sell a short sword and a shield in this era? Guns have pretty much made blades obsolete, due to the fact that you need no serious training to wield one skilfully as all you do is pull the trigger.

He needed to ask around, but no one he knew would have any idea where to look. Tsuna has probably never seen a weapon before outside of the T.V, Nana is too naïve and Ryohei…is Ryohei. He uses his fists so why would he need to know where a weapons shop is.

Hearing a 'thud' in the distance, he opened his eyes, assuming that the person who tripped was Tsunayoshi Sawada. Noticing the distinct brunette's hair, he made his way over to help him up and on his way. Noticing Alex coming, he smiles in relief before stumbling into him.

"What exactly are you doing here, Alex-san? Aren't you going with elder Sasagawa-san today?" He asked, confused by the fact that he stayed behind for him.

"I decided to walk home with you today. After all, I felt kind of sad that I pretty much ditched you for Ryohei." He replied setting a brisk pace to their home.

"Thank you" He murmured, grateful to not be alone.

"No problem. I do live with you after all" The conversation died out soon after that statement, ushering in a new, surprisingly comfortable silence as they made the way home. Quickly coming up to the front gate, Alex stopped, pausing momentarily as he thought something over.

"…tor…" He mumbled; face twisting momentarily as he seemed to be grasping at something inside his head. Brightening, he turned to Tsuna, excitement all over his face.

"Tsuna…" He started, staring at Tsuna with a mischievous glint in his eye. Staring back into his eyes reproachfully, Tsuna couldn't help but shiver at the proclamation of doom that followed.

"Do you know what you need?"

"What?

"A Home tutor."

* * *

**Chapter 3, Fin.**

**I am not feeling well, so today's chapter is shorter than usual, but interesting stuff happened! Alex got a new weapon, character development was a thing and Next chapter everything kicks off :DDD, starting off the anime/manga series, and it will be a weird blend of both.**

**Oh yeah, and before answering the review and stuff, I have a new schedule. This wont be updated daily because I have a lot of things that need to be done in my life, so I have half the time to will be updated every two days, so that I can make the chapter flow instead of typing then uploading.**

**Anyway, review Time :D**

**Glasses and Spectacles: First off thanks for reviewing :D. You were like the inspiration for this story (and what made me just upload it) so you have like major thanks for that. Ryohei is too good not to write about, and spontaneous describes Alex perfectly, but I hope you saw a different side to him. After all, he want's to be in the secret service and be a government agent. I'm going slow with it, so you'll see his character slowly change - I have the end product written down on a word Doc on my laptop. So yea, there isn't much to him yet, but there will be soon. It pretty much kick-starts with Reborn, so just wait and things will be picking up :D. Anyway thanks for reading and I'll hope to see you on the next chapter :D.**

**Anyway, Thanks everyone who followed/fav'd/reviewed and I hope it was worth it.**

**Ciao Ciao~**


	4. Chapter 4

Alex sat down on the chair in the dining room, nearly adjacent to the kitchen. A scarlet towel was clenched tightly in his hand as he rubbed it into his damp, dripping hair – attempting to dry it without making too much of a mess. Nana flitted around the kitchen, getting started on cooking breakfast for herself, Alex and Tsuna, who was still not up yet. Sighing at the youth's predictability, he stood up, deeming his hair to be dry enough, as he made his way into the kitchen. Scanning the table-tops for his prey, his eyes landed on his prey. A pair of neatly wrapped bentos were left on the counter, one red, the other yellow. Picking them up gently so that the carefully done knots don't unravel, he placed them in his trusty bag,

Snagging a slice of toast from one of the plates that were set up extravagantly, he tore into it gracelessly as he tried to balance his bag and the toast. Nana stared in exasperation, before carefully taking the piece of toast of his hand so that he could sling his bag around his shoulder. With a mischievous twinkle in her eye, she waited until he opened his mouth to thank her that she forced it in his mouth. Leaving the boy choking in disbelief around the piece of dried bread in his mouth. Tearing it out, he glared at the giggling woman, not even deigning to respond to her actions. Making his way out, he didn't look back as her slightly hysterical laughter increased in pitch and volume – ending up resulting in a crazy hybrid of a hyena and a gremlin.

Escaping the house before he suffered anymore, he jogged down the pathway before making his way over to Ryohei's house. They had promised to meet up in the morning when they were on the way to school, making it a daily thing. Not even thinking about waking up Tsuna, he picked up the pace, eager to meet up with the energetic boy. It wasn't that he didn't like the boy, on the contrary he was too cute to not like, seeing him as a little brother. It was just that he…_clicked_ more with the boxer. It was hard for him to explain, but he just felt safe around him.

_That, and Tsuna's room is a battlefield that I do not want to go near. The horror of what on Earth is under that mess…_ Shivering at the unknown horror, he thought that it was better left to the professionals to get through that mess. If, by professionals, you mean Nana Sawada, then it is better left to her. She's a veteran with this sort of thing, and it also acts as revenge for that prank she pulled only minutes before. With a mirthful smile on his face, he increased his pace – speeding past the small figure that was on the way to the Sawada household. Not even batting an eye at the speeding boy, Reborn just continued on his way. After all, it had nothing to do with his mission.

Arriving at the front door, he knocked on the door, brushing his dishevelled and slightly damp hair so that it doesn't dry in a mess. Patiently waiting for the door to be opened, he just brushed it flat. There was nothing he could really do to it, regrettably, so he just put the brush away. Hearing the heavy footsteps approaching the door, he stood back, straightening his uniform a bit to give of an illusion of order. It wouldn't do for Ryohei's parents to answer and see him look like Tsuna's room. The door opened, revealing a young girl that seemed to be around Tsuna's age. Smiling, he introduced himself to the girl, before asking if he could come in.

"Are you here for Ryohei? It's nice to see that he is friends with girls. After all, he doesn't really seem to have many friends. Oh yeah! Why are you not in the girl's school uniform?" The unnamed girl rambled on, heading towards the stairs. Ignoring his shocked face and indignant splutters, she head to the staircase, shouting for Ryohei to come up the stairs in a deceptively sweet voice. Hearing him move around upstairs, she shouted once more.

"Ryohei-nii, there is a cute girl here to see you! Please can you come downstairs now?" Kyoko called, saccharine poison dripping from her every word. The brunette turned, before smiling a smile that almost matched Tsuna's in its naïveté at the absolutely mortified red-head. Said mortified ginger was absolutely speechless, as he was trying to grab at words to make an actually decent sentence. Finally managing to come up with something smart, he was a little too late as Ryohei barrelled downstairs, dressed in the Namimori Middle uniform. Spotting the smiling Kyoko near to the pale Alex, his mind instantly connected the dots.

And he literally erupted in loud, raucous laughter.

Glowing a brilliant red, Alex managed to calm down enough to inform Kyoko that he was not wearing the female uniform as 'A': he wasn't a girl and 'B': the skirt was way too small, and on a windy day you're going to be unlucky if you're wearing that. Making Ryohei degenerate into even more hysterics.

"Oh…" She muttered, trailing off into silence, before bursting into giggles alongside Ryohei. All Alex could do was bemoan his current existence, and wait for the Sasagawa siblings to calm down enough to get in a word edge-wise. After a few more moments of unrestrained of laughter and innocent giggles, Alex had enough, storming up to the pair and flicking Kyoko on the forehead whilst bashing Ryohei on the back of the head with his brush. Waiting patiently for Ryohei to stop moaning, he turned to the pouting Kyoko, with a satisfied smile written in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have your name yet, and I can't just go around and call you Ryohei's sister." Alex asked; curiosity obvious in his voice. She replied with her name, before walking out of the house declaring that 'she needed to leave extra-early to do something'. Staring questioningly at her retreating back, he shrugged it off, turning to Ryohei.

"Have you eaten anything yet?" Seeing him shake his head in negative, he sighed, then asking for the whereabouts of the kitchen. Getting them off him he walked into it, setting to work on making him something substantial to eat. Ryohei just stood in the doorway hovering, questioning why Alex was doing this. Shrugging, all he did was smile enigmatically, before serving the dish up and giving it to Ryohei to eat whilst he decided to spend his time doing some maths homework that he didn't bother doing the night before.

Pythagoras, trigonometry, graphs: if you could name it, it was on there. Glaring at the paper, he blitzed through the Pythagoras and cried at the trigonometry. People may say that maths is logical, but who would ever use trigonometry in real life. Just deciding to screw it, he jotted down a little note for some extra supervision in that area, before placing the paper back in his bag. Noting the fact that Ryohei was nearly done, he stood up, cleaning and putting away all the utensils he used to cook. After all it certainly wouldn't do for their parents to see the mess.

Walking up to the content looking Ryohei, he took the plate of him, and put it in the sink. Absently noting the exuberant 'thank you' from the full child, he laughed, telling him not to mention it. Checking the time, he noted that they didn't have long until they had to go school, dragging a confused Ryohei (by the hand) outside the house. The sun had risen by the time they got out, where it had been dusk when he left, signalling just how much time he spent at the Sasagawa residence.

"Umm, Alex, where we going?" He asked, as he was dragged in the direction of the school. All Alex could do was simultaneously sigh at his bad memory and raise an eyebrow at the flailing boy. Deciding to remind the boy, he decided to make a mental note to do something about that memory.

"Ryohei… We have to go to school today. And, you know, get there on time. I can't exactly just use the same excuse twice." He said, focusing more on what's in front of him then the white-haired boxer. Which proved to be his undoing, as he miraculously managed to change their position and drag him around instead.

"STOP! RYOHEI! We have enough time to walk there if we are quick!" Alex managed to force out through the buffeting winds. Managing to hear it, Ryohei slowed down, allowing Alex to put his feet back on the ground. On his knees panting, he tried to get his breath back, noting that he was still holding on to Ryohei's hand.

"Ryohei…" He started, trailing off in uncertainty, as he stared at their conjoined hands. Ryohei, keeping true to his oblivious self, didn't notice anything.

"What, Alex, speak up. You're making me EXTREMELY worried here…" Ryohei muttered, keeping his voice uncharacteristically quiet.

"We seem to be, y'know, umm… how do I say this? Still… y'know… holding hands" He managed to spit out, blushing colourfully as he did so. Ryohei let go with an inaudible 'oh', before quickly recovering, leaving only a faint blush as the only sign that something happened. Taking deep breaths to calm down, he trailed behind Ryohei like sheep to a shepherd, as Ryohei himself was shadow boxing an invisible foe. The punches seem to flow a lot more now, certainly better than they were previously when they fought off them thugs.

"ALEX! My punches seem especially extreme today! Box with me" He all but demanded to the red-head, eager to show-off his passion for boxing. Smiling, he let him, throwing a few weak punches to placate the taller male. Deeming this to be satisfactory, he continued on his way, jabbing the air in front of him. Seeing that his eyes weren't on him anymore, he relented, focusing more on brushing his finally dry hair into perfection. Just as he was putting the finishing touches to it, he was distracted by a fast approaching blur, who seemed to be clad in only…box…ers?

_**Wait**_… _**WHAT! **_Was all that passed through Alex's mind, as he watched Tsuna of all people approach them at high speeds. He seemed to be focused on only one thing, if the repeated calls of 'Kyoko-chan', were anything to go buy. It shocked Ryohei enough to stop him boxing, an impressive feat in and of itself.

"What's up with him…" Ryohei asked, before noticing an incoming truck.

"I don't know… but..." Alex continued for the stunned boxer, before noticing the exact same truck.

"WATCH OUT" They shouted in unison, attempting to warn the young brunette not to run into its path. Unfortunately, they were a little too late, and with a surreal 'boing', the truck hit its victim, killing him instantly.

Or not.

Watching with ample disbelief, they saw the supposed to be wounded boy careen through the air, before rebounding of a nearby building's rails. Flipping magnificently, all they could do was watch with wide eyes as he launched towards the unsuspecting Mochida. Smashing right in front of him and launching him over the school gates – not even caring about his safety – and turning around to face the stunned Kyoko.

"Please will you go out with me" He literally screamed, stunning the surrounding crowd and the vigilante duo, into literal silence. An awkward silence blossomed into existence, with Tsuna's outstretched hand being ignored as Kyoko stared pointedly at his lack of clothes. Or more specifically his blue boxers, which were all that remained when he went into 'Dying Will' mode.

_What a pervert… _Was the only thought that was in Alex's mind. Who would have thought that she would be like that? Recovering quickly, he turned to Ryohei, who was gawping unattractively at this event.

"What's the big deal? Tsuna just asked her on a date. It's not as if she will run off screaming or something?" He asked Ryohei, but was ignored in favour of the 'What the Fuck' moment that just happened in front of half the school. Sighing at the bewildered boy, he rolled his eyes as the boxer's brain pretty much melted inside his head. Grasping his hand with his own, he made his way through the crowd, aiming in Tsuna's general direction.

"Ryohei, could you do me a favour? I just want to check something out, so could you go up to lesson and tell them I'll be there in a moment? Ok, thanks." Alex asked, not even waiting for a reply before pushing him towards the school gates and into the school. It seemed that whilst he was doing that, the black haired boy had punched Tsuna in the face, before dragging Kyoko into the school. Rushing to help him up, he made a rude gesture at the tall boy's back, and took in the site of a half-naked Tsuna.

"You okay? Actually, don't answer that, it's a stupid question. You don't look as if you are. So… what exactly was that just now? And why did it make you border-line naked and set your hair on fire? Why were..." The more questions he asked, the more that came to mind, leaving Tsuna to try and an get a word in but failing to do so.

Well, not before a harsh blow made the curious boy face-plant into the ground. Pushing himself up off the ground, he looked around, scanning with furious eyes for the individual who attacked him. Seeing no one, he looked down, annoyance blazing like wild-fire in his eyes at not being able to find the culprit. Ironically enough, it led him straight to the perpetrator. Furious orbs gazed into the beetle-black eyes of his assailant, who only smirked up in sadistic glee.

_What a… Demonic Baby. I never would usually have thought of this but, I really, really want to get Ryohei to punch this demon in the face. _His ire only grew stronger, as the baby gave him a shark-like smile. It's not as if he could read minds, or anything, right?

Right?

"Baka-Alex, I can. Your thoughts are certainly amusing, you violent, flat-chested girl. My name's Reborn, and before you ask what I am, I'm Tsuna's home tutor." Devilish smile in place, he made his way away from Alex, and in Tsuna's general direction. Throwing his clothes and bag at the bewildered boy, he left the fuming boy to simmer as he explained the mechanics of the 'Dying Will' bullet.

"The 'dying will' bullet does exactly as it says on the tin. It unlocks your dying will." Reborn lectured, pulling out a teachers crest and placing it on his fedora.

"So what does it actually do?" Tsuna asked, confused at the unfamiliar phrase, whilst he was getting dressed. Prompting Reborn to dropkick him for interrupting.

"I was getting too that, Dame-Tsuna. The 'Dying Will' bullet unlocks all inhibitors in the body, making you fit the moniker of super-human perfectly. That means you can do almost anything, survive anything, and overcome any obstacle in your way!" Reborn continued on, becoming more and more passionate the further he talked.

"The flame that burns upon your forehead is your 'Dying Will' flame. It's different for each person, utterly dependant on your personality and family." He finished off, looking around at the awed faces, and smirking at the slight victory over Alex. Noting it, he schooled his face to a cold one, glaring piercingly at the Arcobaleno.

"Hah, well that's nice and all, but what's the down-side to it" Alex said, shooting down Reborn's winning streak before it could continue. The brat didn't need to inflate his own ego more than it already has been. Reborn turned, staring at him whilst thinking of an appropriate answer, but stopped by the appearance of a newcomer.

Tall, dark and handsome. It was obvious that he had a fan-club if his looks said anything about him. Steely-blue eyes bore holes into the trio, daring them to say anything about him. Clad in the school uniform, and standing taller than any of the others, he walked towards them. A bright orange armband shone proudly on his arm, showing the world that he was the head prefect of the 'Disciplinary' Committee.

Alex felt that he wasn't going to like him, at all.

Staring apprehensively at his imposing figure, he tensed, feeling that this was someone that he had to skirt around or else he'll be torn to shreds. Meeting his eyes, he refused to show any sort of fear, and find out just who this person is. Stepping closer, ignoring the quivering Tsuna and curious Reborn, he manoeuvred his way in front.

"Who are you? And why on Earth are you coming near us?" He all but snarled, feeling unnerved by the oppressing aura the Skylark emitted. It seemed that he wasn't expecting that response, or for someone to take the initiative when talking to him. That short flicker of surprise soon turned to steely hate, as the atmosphere started to build up with tension. A confrontation was going to start soon, and if Alex had to bet he would say that it wouldn't be pretty.

"He's Hibari-san, leader of the disciplinary committee." Tsuna, in an attempt to dissipate the tension, answered his question before Hibari could respond. However, this backfired, as the tension just seemed to sky-rocket at that point. If glares could kill, Hibari would be six-feet under by now, and Alex himself even more so. An oppressive silence lay over the area, before Hibari's baritone tore through it like a predator.

"Classes are starting. Get to class before I bite you to death" He ordered, tone nowhere near friendly.

"I take it that you are the disciplinary leader then huh" He commented, eyebrow raised, showing he was feeling less than impressed with the committee leader. Feeling Tsuna's fear, he sighed, allowing himself to be dragged away as he was forced into the school. Before waiting for a reply, and before he was out of hearing range, he made one last remark, shocking Tsuna momentarily and making Hibari's anger skyrocket.

"You should control your thugs better, if you are what you say you are, and stop disturbing the peace your committee is trying to maintain. Power corrupts, and your little committee is nothing but a power-crazy gang rife with corruption. Get your head screwed on before you undo yourselves, you arrogant, self-centered, egotistical hypocrite." He raged as he was dragged along, and away from the both shocked and angry prefect. Leaving Reborn to deal with the angry Skylark in his place.

Feeling proud of his rant at Hibari, he stepped away from Tsuna when they reached the point where they had to split up, cooling himself down by taking deep breathes. Climbing the stairs, he didn't bother worrying about the repercussions of his actions, and what the Skylark might do in response to his angry words. One thing was for certain though; it was war between Alex Ivy and Hibari Kyouya, and Alex didn't intend to lose to the wrathful teenager.

Even if he was drop-dead gorgeous.

* * *

With his head held high, he made his way through the doorway and into his classroom. The teacher only nodded in response – Ryohei must have given a decent excuse if he was allowed to just waltz into the classroom without a care in the world. Sitting down next to Ryohei, who was fast asleep, he tuned into the conveniently gossiping girls right behind him. It seemed they were talking about a fight that would be going on at lunch. Ignoring his yet to be taken out journal (for now) in favour of listening in to the conversation taking place right behind him.

"Oh my days, did you hear?" Gossiping girl 'A'…well gossiped to the girl next to her.

"What?" She replied, curiosity dripping from her voice.

"Mochida-kun has challenged Dame-Tsuna to a kendo match during lunch"

"No way."

"Yea way."

"Do you think he'll run?"

"Obviously." That was all he could hear from the two gossiping girls before the entire conversation degenerated into giggles and perverted mumbles. He didn't care though – he got what he wanted from the two, so they can continue their conversation away from his eavesdropping ears. Turning towards the slumbering Ryohei, he nudged him until he was awake, eager to tell him the news. Blearily opening his eyes, Ryohei let out a loud yawn, before turning to Alex confused.

"Why did you wake me up?" He questioned, confused by the random awakening. Not skipping a beat, Alex informed the energetic boxer about the kendo match that would take place in the main sports hall. At the mention of a fight, Ryohei became absolutely ecstatic, eager to see any form of organised violence so he could improve his own combat effectiveness.

"EXTREME! We are going to see it, right? But what about the Boxing Club?" Ryohei asked, double-checking with Alex on what they were doing.

"The Boxing Club will most likely be empty whilst people watch the match, but we can go do that later, after we watch it ourselves." Alex replied, already figuring out what to do to placate the anxious boxer. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, as the duo anxiously waited for the lunch bell to ring, signalling the beginning of one of the most talked about events in Namimori Middle at the moment.

Having an idea on what to do, he managed to slow down Ryohei enough to tell him it, and to take him to the school's field trip cupboard. Once arriving there, he set to work rummaging through the unused equipment, before settling on an unused, crimson picnic blanket. Taking the wrapped bundle, he left the room, he followed behind the running Ryohei, almost as eager to see the fight as he was.

He may be Tsuna's friend and not want him to fight, but he needed someone there to support him. After all, with his reputation, it doesn't seem like anyone believes in him.

* * *

_Hurry up Tsuna… You're going to lose if you don't arrive here sometime soon… Can't you see he wants you to run away from this? _

Alex anxiously stared at the doorway to the large sports hall, silently pleading to whatever deity out there that he arrives, and fast. Mochida just said that if he doesn't arrive soon, he will automatically forfeit the match, letting Mochida win by default. Ryohei could only stare at the anxious teen, before deciding to try and calm him down. He tried poking him to get his attention, but it failed when he just shrugged it off. Thinking fast, he needed to find a way of getting his mind away from the wayward Tsuna, before his mood dissolves into despair. So he did the one thing that would be sure to grab his attention.

He hugged him. Tightly.

"Don't worry about it! I'm sure he'll turn up. After all, how could he leave a 'pretty lady' like you waiting, hmm?" He grinned, as the feminine boy erupted into a hissing ball of anger, ready to gut him where he stands. Or sits, considering the fact that they were sitting on that red blanket eating the two bentos he prepared earlier. Just as he was about to absolutely _eviscerate_ the traitor, he leaned his head on top of his, making the boy in his arms still.

"After all, I know I would"

Leaving the Brit a vibrant red and Ryohei himself guffawing at him. It seemed that he didn't realise just how what he did could be interpreted, so Alex decide to ignore it in favour of his bento. Polishing it off well after Ryohei had finished, he decided that he hated chop-sticks, as his abysmal skill gave Ryohei even more ammo to use in teasing him with. Sighing, he picked up a hastily created sign to cheer him on, standing up at the very front of the crowd with Ryohei. Just as he was about to give up hope on Tsuna actually turning up, the double doors slammed open, signalling his appearance. Beaming in absolute relief, he started to cheer on Tsuna as the others jeered at him. Tsuna himself seemed to shrink at the abuse thrown at him, which aggravated Alex to the extreme.

Quickly noticing his rising temper, of which it seemed to flare up often when he had to protect someone whom he cared for, Ryohei stood a step away in an effort to not be made a target of his ire. Sadly, before he could erupt, the match began, with only a minority supporting Tsuna. This, whilst sad, is not surprising, considering the fact that he was running away from the aggressive Mochida instead of attacking.

All hope seemed lost when Mochida knocked out his legs, causing him to fall to the floor in fear. Biting his lip, worried that he was going to get pummelled, he turned to Ryohei for assurance. But this was for naught, as not even Ryohei had a smile on his face at the beating Tsuna was getting. Unable to take it anymore, he closed his eyes, unwilling to see him get beaten. He was prepared to hear Tsuna's cries, not him to suddenly shout 'Reborn' and turn into his Dying Will form.

His eyes shot open, before both Ryohei's and his smiles went supernova. It seemed that he was fully prepared to turn the tide of battle and crush the arrogance out of the pompous jerk. He charged forward, shattering the wooden bamboo of the opponent's weapon into tiny slivers – almost resembling everything the audience knew about the so-called 'Dame'-Tsuna. Crashing into him, he straddled the sword-wielder and roughly clenched his hair.

"How about HYAKU-PON" He roared, yanking bundles of hair rapidly, throwing it away rapidly before reaching for more. Throughout this spectacle the referee could only watch in shock as his hair rapidly dwindled into non-existence. When noticing the fact that Mochida had nothing left, the arm holding Tsuna's flag shot up, declaring him as the winner.

As the hall erupted into absolute chaos, Alex turned to Ryohei, meeting his own mega-watt smile with his own happy one.

Guess like Tsuna didn't need anyone worrying about his well-being after all, huh?

* * *

_**Dear He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named,**_

_**Date: 27/04/13 Objectives: Get to know more about Ryohei.**_

_**Before I actually get into the report, please for the love of everything don't even Avada Kedavra me. I've been a good, loyal follower right?**_

_**Right? Actually, on second thought do not answer that. Not that you could anyway but. Please. Oh and don't even tell Reborn about this journal. If he finds it we are both screwed. Me cause I'll never live it down and you because I said so. Aren't I like, so kind? I'm a freaking saint :DDDD, and don't you forget it. **_

_**Ughhh, sometimes I'm glad I'm not typing this on a computer and instead writing it down. Lord knows just how many bloody squiggles will be under my words. But that is beside the point. What we really want to know is what I did today, because I'm your bestie. Am-i-right? Am-i-right? I'm so totally right.**_

_**Anyway, you may see that my objective today was to learn more about Sasagawa Ryohei. Well I did, because I don't fail. Me + failure isn't a thing. Test it. Put it in a calculator. You'll get a syntax error. Trust me, I've tried it. Well, I haven't, but you have no way of knowing that, do you? You are after all a book, and don't even have a life.**_

_**Oh yeah, you don't technically have a life. That's… I don't even know. I'm just going to pretend you do. It makes it so much easier to pretend if you are. That way, if people know how I act here and how I act with real people they won't really be able to accurately guess what I am like.**_

_**See, I'm smart. Now, remind me to get rid of this paragraph later so that if anyone does get a hold of this then they cannot actually figure me out. It won't for them to know the truth.**_

_**Anyway, with the enigmatic post done, let me just say that I lie sometimes, and I may or may not be telling the truth :D. OMG I am such a good actor, you wouldn't know that I'm pretending :D. I just don't like my information to be so clinical and boring, like it is in all the spy movies. After all, no one really wants to read boring notes.**_

_**Its totes true.**_

_**I need to actually get something down. First off, he has a sister called Kyoko, who is apparently the schools idol (though neither her nor her brother actually know this), and also mistook me for both a girl and her brother's girlfriend. Well she didn't outright state it, she insinuated it, but they are pretty much the same thing.**_

_**He is very perceptive, though it's hidden deep underneath the surface, and only really comes out when he needs it. Shown today when he managed to get my mind off of worrying about Tsuna. I don't even care that to do so he teased me. The hug more than made up for it.**_

_**Anyway, on too other interesting tid-bits, Tsuna has a new home tutor. Who I do not feel comfortable staying around alone. Especially not when he has a penchant for shooting kids in the head with bullets that have the potential to kill if you have no regrets. Plus, he is supposedly the best in the business, and training Tsuna to be a Mafia Boss for the Vongola. Turns out he is related to the first boss.**_

_**Huh, I wonder if they are like each-other then.**_

_**Anyway, he offered me a place in the Famiglia (I almost got shot for saying family), which I said I would think about. But I don't really think I have an actual choice in it. **_

_**I might just join. But I better be someone important :D!**_

_**Well, I'm going to get some sleep, I have to have a training match with Ryohei in the morning and I need to show him that I can defend myself. Even if it is shoddily. So goodnight :D.**_

_**Signed, Alex (OMFG-RYOHEI-HUGGED-ME-AND-I-LIKED-IT) Ivy.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 4, Fin.**_

_**Hello Everyone and welcome back~ Anyway, I'm loving the new schedule so much. Anyway, I need to review my current read and post some more drabbles, so let'd get this show on the road :D.**_

_**Glasses-and-Spectacles: OMG Yes it's a revolutionary xD! We need more people though to make it a thing :D! I may like some members of the disciplinary committee (Read as Hibari lol), but on a whole I find the entire thing to be corrupt. Due to the way he is mentally, that one event made him judge everyone in the committee, as shown by the explosion at Hibari. Don't worry, they'll eventually respect each-other, and maybe even talk to eachother, but Alex ain't no Mitobe lol, he wouldn't be able to bounce back without fighting him, so a relationship (or even friends) wouldn't work between them. I was originally going to go for this pairing, but the characters don't fit and they seem to clash more the they do join. So then Ryohei was a thing. True story. Alex himself is a very... eccentric fellow. Well, in his writing he certainly is. Just take it lightly and the world will be happy. Lol yea I couldn't pump out one a day without burning-out so I made the new schedule :D. And I quite like it. Everyone feels sorry for Alex. Literally everyone thinks he is a girl initially, except for Tsuna, Nana and oddly enough Ryohei. And yes, he has the legs for a skirt, but don't tell him I told you that :D. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and I hope to see you review the next one :D.**_

_**vampy-chan321: Hello :D. I'm glad to see you enjoy the story and it means a lot to me to hear you think it deserves more reviews. So thank you for spending time reading this and I hope to see you review again on this story :DDDD.**_

_**PCheshire: Hiya. Lol thanks a lot for the compliment, and the review :D. Okay so to answer your question about the journal, it may or may not be seen by a certain someone who I won't name :D. But when you see who it is, you'll certainly be shocked. I was when I thought of it. After all, we get to see the person turn into an absolute BAMF, and become Alex's Sensei. It will be a thing lol. And yea, everyone acknowledges that they are embarrassing **__**but who's journal isn't lol. I have a bio-sheet for reference on my note-pad, and I would put it up but there will be spoilers, as it has future events on that haven't even been planned out properly yet. So like 30 chapters away lol. Sorry for not being able to provide one, but y reading you get to learn that he is spontaneous, yet protective. Slightly perverted, but he is literally a teen in the middle of puberty, so it's allowed (slightly). He is somewhat judge-mental, as shown by his actions with Hibari. The rest of his personality isn't really set in stone (well, his entire personality isn't, as it will slightly deviate as he becomes more mature), but that happens everywhere. I'm sorry if this was a really confusing and convoluted way of going about it, but I hope it helps. I hope to see you on the next chapter :D.**_

_**Well, I hope everyone who reads the chapter enjoyed it, and I'll see you all for the next one. Thanks for everyone reading/reviewing/following/faving/etc/etc. Now I dare you to say that five times, really fast**_

_** So for now, goodbye :D.**_


	5. Chapter 5

"RYOHEI!" Alex all but screamed, diving out the way of the incoming fist with surprising deft-ness. All Ryohei did in response was press the attack, jabbing relentlessly at the almost dancing youth. With no response forth-coming, all Alex could do was avoid the fists and pray to whatever deity out there that was watching the one-sided fight, to quickly give him an easily exploitable weakness. Sure, the rapid-fire fists left him open to attacks, he did not have the physical prowess necessary to make use of them – a fact that needed to be remedied, and fast, if he was going to stand by Ryohei.

Being friends with Ryohei meant that, no matter what, you had to be strong enough to protect yourselves. From anything really: bullies, heart-ache, the world – you had to be prepared to face everything head on if you wanted to stand by his side. It may seem taxing, but it was certainly worth it, especially moments where he was extremely cute, to coin the catchphrase of the boxer in question. Hopefully, he will never change; Alex was having too much fun with this Ryohei to want him to disappear.

Dancing around a devastating upper-cut, he moved his mind away from his introspective thoughts, and focused on the sweating boxer in front of him. The passionate boy was sweating, clad only in his boxing gear, but was otherwise showing no other signs of relenting, whilst he himself was feeling the exertion of the fight. He needed to make a definitive strike, before Ryohei ran him down with his fists alone. If he wasn't going to give him one, he figured that he would have to make one – lest he becomes too tired to do anything. Side-stepping a painful (if it hit) straight, he gripped it, using it as leverage to get into close distance.

They were so close, that their faces were almost touching. If it was any other situation, Alex would be a blushing mess, but he viciously stomped down the rising flush in favour of getting a hit in on the powerful warrior. Delivering an uppercut to the boy, he could only watch as the fighter barely even flinched in response to the blow, before stumbling backwards as his hand ached from the recoil. He didn't have any upper-body strength, so whilst in theory the blow would have been enough to take someone down, he didn't have the strength to back up the blow – leaving Alex worse off.

With that, the fight couldn't continue, as his dominant hand was put out of commission, leaving Alex without any method of attacking the boxer. He couldn't use his legs, as this wasn't a fight – it was a friendly one-on-one boxing match. In other words, it was fist only combat, making it inevitable for the crimson haired boy to actually win. Sighing in half pain, half annoyance, he fell to his knees cradling his injured hand. With a regretful smile, the energetic boxer rushed towards the first aid kit that was left on the side, just in case of emergencies like this one. Settling down in front of Alex with a tender expression, the boxer-turned-medic wrapped bandages around the aching hand, before making a sling and threading the smaller classmate's arm through it, reciting apologies throughout the process.

"I'm so sorry about that, how does it feel? The sling should do you some good; it will take pressure off the hand and allow it to rest – as a result allowing it to heal. But that was a nice uppercut; you just need power behind the hits." Ryohei apologised, before attempting to cheer up the moping boy. Whilst Alex appreciated the effort, it couldn't help the fact he felt that he wouldn't ever actually be strong enough, or why he needed to be so strong. It seemed that, with his failure to even slightly damage the extreme fighter, all of his insecurities seemed to come pouring out. Feeling tears build up, he unsuccessfully tried to hold back the tears building up in his eyes.

Unable to hold it in any more, the wounded boy launched himself at Ryohei, who was quickly becoming flustered around the crying boy. Awkwardly patting his back, he tried to shush him, only to fail as the boy's whimpers evolved, transforming into sobs. Bewildered at the sudden turn of events, all Ryohei could do was act as some twisted anchor as Alex lost himself to his own fears and tears. He honestly didn't know what to do, as it was one thing to calm down crying maidens, but it was one thing entirely to calm down a crying, hormonal boy who had a strange amount of insecurities. Rocking the boy like a baby, he decided to treat this like any other sort of challenge – completely wing it, and hope for the best.

Whilst being rocked to and fro in the boxer's arms, insecurities smashed at his self-esteem, chipping off shard after shard, sliver after meaningful sliver. If possible, he tried to hug Ryohei even tighter then he was already. Trying to smother down the blazing inferno, Ryohei started to shush him like a child, and overpower the whispers in his mind with his own voice. They lay like that for who knows how long, him crying whilst Ryohei tried his best to comfort him – even if he did not know why exactly he was crying in the first place. Calming down, he vowed to face his insecurities head on next time, and not have to rely on Ryohei to fight them off.

"You okay now?" Ryohei asked, noticing the fact that he had stopped crying on his chest, and was breathing normally now. Lifting his head up off his chest, he raised his eyes up to meet Ryohei's, or well as close as he could get to it – which was his chin. Trying to get up to face level was a futile task, so he immediately stopped trying when he noticed that squirming around wasn't going to help. Not when they were in such a compromising situation at the moment. Sighing he lay back on his chest, noting that it surprisingly comfortable, before his eyes surged open in embarrassment at the fact that he was laying on Ryohei's bare chest.

"I'm….okay. Well I think I am anyway. I'm sorry…that, y'know, I burst into tears. I honestly don't know what came over me." He said, not even bothering to let go of him, even if Ryohei himself wasn't wearing any actual clothes, and only his boxing gear. Ryohei just let him, even if he personally believed that crying solves nothing. After all, they had a while to go until school starts for real, so they could use the time to rest. Alex rested in silence, allowing the exuberant boxer to take the control of the conversation now that he knew he was.

Whilst he was doing so, he came to a sudden realization. He himself didn't actually know why he wanted to fight. Alex didn't really have anything to fight for, not like Ryohei did anyway. Ryohei had a dream that he needed to fight for, and whilst he wanted to stay by his side, he didn't need to be able to be strong. Did he? His resolve to fight crumbled, as he realised that he really had no place in a fight, due to the fact that he was just too weak to make a difference in the grand scheme of things. Hiding all of his confusion behind a smile, he let go of Ryohei, and made to stand on his own two feet.

"Come on, we should get going now. Who knows how long it will take to get ready for lessons, as you know we absolutely stink. Where exactly are the showers in this place anyway? Please say you have some, as I'm not sticking around when this place starts sinking like a frat-house." He said, smiling at the boxer, before holding his uninjured hand up for him to take. Ryohei took it, aware of the meaning behind it, and launched himself up. Not letting go, he dragged the tired boy to a door of to the side, which had all the showers in. Standing outside the empty room, he made a few extravagant gestures with his hand, before bowing in exaggeration and opening the door.

"After you, my lady, it would be rude of me to take the shower before you." Ryohei joked, eyes twinkling mischievously, teasing the easily mistook boy, with a shit-eating grin. Said grin only got wider when the irate boy huffed, barging past him with his tongue stuck out at him. Not willing to lose once more to the currently smirking boxer, he pulled out a comb, and launched it at him. Watching it tangle in the offender's hair, he waltzed into the shower, knowing full well that a comb was a massive pain to get out of tangled hair. Really, he should know better than to leave himself open to an attack from someone who knew hair.

Alex 1 – Ryohei 20.

He certainly had a long way to go until he caught up to him, but he had years to go until they part ways. He would make sure of it.

* * *

The day was bleak, dreary with full clouds ready to burst down nature's tears on the world. It looked as if it was going to rain, and if he was paranoid or superstitious, he would have been weary of something coming. Luckily for him, he was not one of those people, and just took the rain at face-value. However, he may be lucky like this, but why would that matter when at the moment the analysis teacher was boring down on him with a stare capable of stopping death and purging the bladders of thousands. Alex's eyes swiveled towards the front, freezing at the formidable gaze.

Mrs Heartoak was an American-born woman, who had faced many challenges in her reasonably short life. Racism, prejudice, sexism – she had withstood it all, and came out a better person because of it. She was a woman you could respect, formidable yet kind, in a 'painful love' sort of way. She wasn't the kindest in a typical sense, but she was realistic. All these qualities were what made her so respected in Alex's eyes and as a result his favourite teacher. It also helped that she was the teacher of his favourite subject, even if it was his easiest by far.

Or maybe that was because he read so many introspective fanfictions?

"If you have time to look out of the window, then you can tell the rest of the class just what 'Pathetic Fallacy' is." She said, an unknown tone to the formidable woman's voice adding an edge to her voice. He raised an eyebrow at the irony – here he was thinking about the weather, and having his very own analysis of it, and then his teacher asking a question on it. Smirking he made his way to the front of the class, ignoring that she didn't tell him to, and turned to the rest of the class. With all eyes on him he began his very own lecture to reinforce the one the teacher began. With a spring in his step, he took a deep breathe, and started it off.

"Pathetic Fallacy, which despite what it may suggest, is not a fundamentally flawed argument and a less-than-spectacular one at that. It is a literary technique utilized by authors young and old to use the weather as a literal personification of man-kinds emotions. Mainly found in poetic writing, due to how it sounds, as shown by saying 'a cruel wind' or a 'sorrowful rain' – prime examples of both a metaphor and pathetic fallacy. However, due to this, it has become a cliché in poetic writing, not that it is necessarily a bad one per se, and it has become common due to how easy it can be used. That and it can be used as a form of foreshadowing. So as long as you remember that, you should be able to use it anytime you want to, with relative ease."

"You can sit back down now, Ivy-chan, and can I just say that what you just did was simply remarkable," She praised, an assessing glint in her eyes as you could almost hear the cogs whirling in her head as she came up with some unknown plan. Blushing profusely at the praise, he nodded his head in thanks, not trusting himself to actually speak in case he stuttered out a mess. Normally, he wasn't that vocal, preferring instead to just stay quiet in the back of the class, but Ryohei must be getting to him.

_What is he doing anyway?_ Alex turned to his right, where Ryohei usually slept in this class. He seemed to of been asleep throughout the entire thing, using Alex's red bag as a pillow. Shaking his head, he didn't know whether or not to be shocked at the fact that he managed to not be caught by Mrs Heartoak for sleeping in her class, or to be annoyed at the fact that he slept through his entire lecture. Deciding to wake the sleeping boxer up, a regular occurrence in all the classes they are in, and get him ready for next period, which was arguably his most hated subject in the world, second only to Maths.

"Ryohei, you need to get up now and cover for me, I'm going to hide in the Boxing Club's room." He pleaded to the now awake boxer. The boxer was confused, before realising where he was and why he was oh so rudely awakened. Turning apologetic eyes towards Alex's begging orbs, his mind flailed for an answer, before settling on a barely-audible apology. Confused, he stared at the dejected boy, before his mind put the pieces together.

"Umm, sorry, but…today we need a partner for the sport…" Ryohei trailed off, looking at the stunned westerner in hope.

"Could you be my EXTREME partner? I would rather have you be my partner than anyone else?" Ryohei asked, hope shining in his eyes. Alex sat there, pondering on how to answer that. He could say yes, and make Ryohei happy, or say no, and make him dejected. He couldn't ever resist making Ryohei sad, so he decided to just bite the bullet and say yes to the boxer. So, even if he didn't want to, he said yes, not looking forward to the lesson. Physical education was certainly not his forte, but if Ryohei asked, he might as well go with it. It couldn't be too bad, could it?

With that done, the bell rung, ushering the students to make their way towards the main door, packing up their gear, they set off, leaving only a few stragglers, Ryohei and Alex behind. Picking up their stuff, they made their way towards the exit, only to be stopped by Mrs Heartoak, who waited near the door for the duo. Or more specifically, Alex.

"Pardon me, but if I could take a moment of your time, I have a proposition for you" She asked, hands reaching out to grab a letter that she left on her table. Picking it up, she asked if they knew what was on it. Seeing them both shake their heads in negative, she sighed, before beginning to explain what was exactly on the unknown sheet. However, before she could really begin explaining what was on it, she was cut off by Alex.

"Before you explain what is on the sheet, could you please tell me how long it will take? I honestly do not want to be noted down as late, even if I hate the subject." He said with a voice sharp with tempered steel. With a raised eyebrow at his cheek, she informed the two that she would write a note informing the P.E teacher that they were with her. After asking if there would be any more interruptions, and getting a negative from the both of them, she carried on with her explanation of the letter.

"This letter is given to people who I deem ready enough to be given the responsibility of doing something important for people in a younger generation than them. If you sign this, you are given the right to teach people of lesser ability in a few chosen subjects, along with when you can teach them." She started, watching as Alex stared at her in rapt fascination whilst Ryohei was staring at Alex, who made a fascinating figure as his eyes easily met the size of Reborn's – and filled with enough sparkles to make Dumbledore jealous.

"I can already tell you know where this is going, don't you? I want you, Alex Ivy, to become a tutor for those who are not as gifted in your year, and the years below." She finished it off, handing the unblemished letter to the ecstatic boy, who filled it in with glee. Finishing it off in record time, she scanned the letter before raising an eyebrow at one of the last question's answers. After spotting where she was looking, he felt an encroaching feeling of disbelief, which turned into mortification, as Ryohei absolutely guffawed, destabilising the birds roosting outside it was that loud. Please, don't say she-

"I…didn't realise you were male. I must apologise for that" she apologised, shocked at the revelation. If it was possible, Ryohei's laugh got even louder than before, who was soon joined by the usually stern woman.

"That… will never get old. I swear…it's too…EXTREME!" Ryohei spat out, managing to get it out before continuing to laugh himself into oblivion.

_Why on Earth do I put up with this? _Alex thought, before leaving them behind. They so totally deserved each-other. He got half-way to the door before realising that he needed the note to not get in trouble.

You win this time, Ryohei Sasagawa. But prepare for the next round. I won't lose next time, not when my pride is on the line!

* * *

The deadly duo dashed down the hallways, through countless doors and even the courtyard to get to the sports hall. Panting heavily, Alex stared enviously at Ryohei, due to the fact that he wasn't anywhere near as shattered from the mad dash as he was. All he did was smirk and shout something about being 'EXTREME!', and then going on about exercise, drugs and worlds peace. Choosing to ignore the athlete in order to save his sanity, he recovered enough to enter the building, being swiftly followed by his current anchor.

What was waiting for them was not anything Alex could have predicted. At least fifty students were up and about, mulling around the centre of the room. The teacher was near the front, taking role call now. Bustling through the crowd, Alex used Ryohei as a weapon, cutting the swathe of students in half. He also made an effective human shield, protecting him from any stray limbs up ahead. Silently congratulating himself for his ingenious plan, he stuck closer to Ryohei than usual, up until they reached the teachers. Heading towards their P.E teachers, Alex fumbled around in his bag, before pulling out the note that would tell them why they were late. Keeping it in pristine condition made it certain that they cannot take it as false, so they were safe.

Well, Ryohei would be at least, if the fact that the P.E teacher held a glare capable of melting diamond on his face, and had it aimed at his head. With a dismissive shake of his head, he jotted our names down on the role call before shredding it in between his hands. Alex was just glad that it was not him that was being turned into mush by the teacher's grizzled and calloused hand. He was afraid to ask the volatile teacher just what was going on in the room, so he left it unsaid. Scanning the crowd for familiar faces, he spotted Kyoko nearby. Informing Ryohei, they made their way over to her, eager to see what was going on.

"Kyoko, Kyoko, your extreme onii-san is here to talk to you!" The excitable boy all but whispered to the smiling girl, whose smile only grew wider when she saw that they were together. Whilst the two talked to each other and caught up, Alex was on his knees, rummaging through his bags. Pulling out a very familiar scarlet blanket, he laid it out on the ground, before sitting down it in the front row. He was soon followed by the brother and sister combo, who was still having their conversation. Yawning, he closed his eyes to have a nap. He probably didn't want to see this anyway.

Sadly, before he could succumb to Morpheus' embrace, he was jolted awake by an irritating flick combo from his two passengers. Glaring them down for dare interrupting his sleep, he closed his eyes, ready to actually sleep. But once again, before he could sleep he was interrupted by the free-loaders.

"Oi, if you're not going to let me sleep, then get off my blanket. I swear, the nerve of some people…" Alex growled out, voice coarse from interrupted slumber. They just shared the same mischievous glint in their eyes, only difference was that Kyoko's held a poisonous innocence to it that all but pointed out that she was enjoying this far more than she should. The glare faltered long before the family team did, much to their delight and Alex's sorrow. Sighing, he gave up; it was obvious they were not going to let him sleep.

"Remind me why I'm friends with you two again?" He questioned, shaking his head in exasperation. They just did the creepy family thing that said they knew exactly what the other was thinking.

"It's because you love us." Kyoko sang out, victorious grin juxtaposing her innocent aura. Ryohei's face held much the same, except his made him a lot more attractive. Alex set fire to the thought before it continued on – he did not need to be thinking that way about the silver-haired boxer. It was almost as if he could hear his thoughts, as that grin only got wider.

"It's because we are extremely best friends!" Ryohei stage-whispered, completely unaware that everyone could hear them if they wanted to eavesdrop, whilst slinging an arm around his shoulder. Huffing, all Alex could do was lean into it, it wasn't as if he was being given a choice in the matter, letting Kyoko just watch in building glee at the bro-mance. Without skipping a beat, Ryohei continued on with his train of thought, not even noticing the oncoming train-wreck.

"Alex-kun, Tsu-kun will be playing in the volleyball tournament, are you going to support him?" Kyoko asked, effectively crashing through Ryohei's barrage of words, with an almost vindictive happiness. Alex's eyebrow perked at that – his honorary little/big bro (he honestly didn't know which one he was, he may be older but Tsuna is taller) was in a volley ball match? This he had to see.

"Kyoko, obviously I will be supporting Tsuna. I didn't know he played the game though. Do you want to make some placards for him then? I think I have some card in my bag and a few bits of cello tape, we can make a quick one if all of us work together." He said, tipping out a few useful bits that of crafts that they could use. Kyoko quickly agreed on principle, they roped a reluctant Ryohei into writing a few notes on the coloured card, whilst Kyoko and Alex made a makeshift orange banner. A few minutes later, they were done, and all that was left was for them to write good luck on it for the team. Jotting it down in elegant cursive, they wrote it in both Japanese kanji and English. Ryohei added extreme to both, in capital letters next to the two signs.

Proud of their combined work, 'Team Sasagawa' high-fived, as Alex complained that he wasn't a Sasagawa only to be told to be quiet by Kyoko. Before they could start a one-sided argument, the hall quieted down, as the two teams entered the pitch. Jumping like cheerleaders on crack, Kyoko and Alex waved their orange banner whilst Ryohei shouted random encouragements nearby. Team 1-A was losing, and badly. Tsuna was not in Dying Will mode, so he was practically useless, and despite having a 'so-called' (according to Kyoko) sports prodigy on their team, they couldn't pick up Tsuna's slack.

Despite this however, Team Sasagawa refused to become subdued like the rest of Class 1-A's, and if anything became even more fervent in their cheering, even if all they got was strange looks in response. Watching as the team cornered Tsuna, telling him to 'stop not taking it seriously', and go back to the game, he called out to Tsuna right before he returned to the game. Ignoring the teen's curious gaze, he lifted a hastily edited banner, where it now said 'Go Tsuna' on it, with a cute little emoticon on the side.

Having a positive effect on him, it seemed to be just what he needed, and he walked back into the game with a new found determination. It you asked Alex what he thought of him then, you would get 'absolutely badass' as a response. After all, when Tsuna gets serious, an epic fight begins. Watching in trepidation, Team Sasagawa awaited the obvious comeback or the return of 'Dying Will' Tsuna. Only to watch as Tsuna seemed to slip _backwards_ whilst walking _forward, _an impressive yet embarrassing feat. They could only wait for him to redeem himself from the slight, and redeem he did.

Takeshi turned towards Tsuna, ordering him to block the ball, so he jumped up to meet it. But, when he jumped, he jumped so much further than he could have normally done, making the crowd stare in awe at the super-human feat.

_It was almost as if his legs are in Dying Will mode… _Was one of the first things his brain said to him, and it all clicked together. That 'trip' before wasn't so much of a 'trip' as it was a 'push', with the antagonist being Reborn's 'Dying Will Bullet'. He literally seemed to soar into the air, rising well above the net, and in the oncoming path of the ball. It collided, bouncing off onto the floor as everyone went further into shock at how he had blocked it.

That poor, poor boy…

"He… He blocked it with a man's most important organ… EXTREME GUY!" It was almost shocking enough to lower Ryohei's voice to almost in-audible levels. Sensing the boxing club spiel coming a mile away, he tuned Ryohei out in favour of watching the monumental comeback going on right in front of him. The cheers came back, stronger than before, as the team buckled down and destroyed them. With Tsuna getting repeated balls to the crotch. Well, it seemed to work, so whatever floats his boat. Soon enough, the game was over, with Tsuna's team the victors.

With the match over, and Ryohei fading off to the Boxing Club to start training under the promise that he'll be there later. Walking up to Tsuna, he attempted to start a conversation with the shy boy, only to be cut off by a rude, silver haired boy. Staring in sheer shock at the audacity of the boy, he watched in stunned silence as he led him off over the din of the crowd. Following the pair, he chased them until they stopped in an alleyway. Hiding behind some bins, he poked his head over to watch the fight.

Tsuna seemed to be in his dying will form extinguishing dynamite left and right. Sometime during this, the so-called 'sports star' made his way over, asking if it was some form of game and whether or not he can join in. After extinguishing all the explosives and making the rude brat from before his friend and subordinate, Reborn dropped down from his perch and announced that Tsuna did well, getting two family members in one day. Seeing that he had no further place here, he sighed, moving back the way he came.

Tsuna didn't need him to protect him anymore– he had real friends now.

* * *

_**Dear Sexy, (Yes, I actually have a name for you now. Did you really think that it would be serious though? Yes? Well too bad, so sad :P.)**_

_**Well, before we begin with today's analysis, I want to say something. I do not feel well emotionally. Today has just been one influential day after another. First I feel inadequate when fighting Ryohei (Who wouldn't when going against someone like that. Dude could punch a mountain into rubble if he wants to), and then I realise that I'm no longer needed by Tsuna. He has friends now – friends that will be better than me in every way.**_

_**I'm being totally serious. The two of them have fan-clubs that rival Kyoko's- they are that impressive. It's sad that it is a thing. I know right!**_

_**Yamamoto Takeshi is, and I quote, 'a sports genius' and a 'natural born hit-man'. He seems to be constantly praised by everyone under the sun, and whilst he may have some emotional problems, I don't think he'll be able to do it. Not with his current mind-set anyway. To be able to kill someone and then live with yourself afterwards is hard enough, if someone like him does it then I'm sure they'll crack. I just hope that when he does, he'll find someone who he can turn to that won't judge him, and know what they are talking about.**_

_**And now for the rude one – Gokudera Hayato.**_

_**Gokudera Hayato is the very definition of the word 'delinquent'. He's rude, aggressive, anti-social – every stereotype underneath the sun. He, like Yamamoto, is attractive, but that is the only attractive part of his personality so far. Well, that and his devotion to Tsuna. I could hear the third-years screams from the boxing room, and I had to convince Ryohei that he was hearing his own stomach. **_

_**Not the most fun thing in the world, I assure you. It involved diagrams, lengthy paragraphs and a discussion on meta-physics – all of which he forgot five minutes later. It was quite possibly the most surreal experience of my short life by far. I felt like I was on acid for half of it, and it's starting to become blurry I my mind. Oh well, if it is gone, it's gone.**_

_**This is going to be a heavy question, but… What does it mean to be strong? I mean, are some people predisposed to be strong, whilst others have to be weak? Or is it something so much more complex than that? I don't know what I'm fighting for and why I even want to be strong – all I'm doing is following Ryohei. He's special, so I have to stick to him like glue.**_

_**We have all established that I am weak, but to make the feelings of inadequacy even greater I am not even needed by Tsuna anymore. He has friends now to support him, people who are around him a hell of a lot more than I am, or will ever be. I literally feel like crying right now, it's that bad. If only my Sister was here, she would know how to cheer me up. **_

_**But she isn't, and I am all alone here. **_

_**Haha well check me out, acting all depressed. I really need to cheer up; I still have Ryohei and Kyoko to hang around with. Along with Tsuna when I can get over the fact that he doesn't need me anymore.**_

_**Well, not everything was bad at least. Today I am now officially a tutor in both English-based subjects, and I got to hug a half-naked Ryohei, so it certainly wasn't a horrific day :DDDD.**_

_**Anyway, I'm signing out. Nothing interesting really happened today, and the only other piece of information I have is that Reborn has different bullets, and it would be nice to find out what they are.**_

_**Anyway, this is goodbye:**_

_**Alex (OMG-I-AM-SO-INTROSPECTIVE-AND-ANGSTY) Ivy.**_

* * *

_**Chapter Five, Fin~**_

_**OMG ANGST THAT IS A THING. My mood affects my writing, so guess how I felt whilst writing this chapter lol. That and I'm getting no response of people...Which makes me the saddest thing ever T.T. Ohh well, I'll answer the people who've reviewed, so onto review land~.**_

_**Suntan140: First of all, thanks for reading. I would love to put a picture up, but I have no artistic talent, and an picture I would do would be pathetic. If someone did one, I'd post it up and use it as reference, but until then, there is nothing I can do about it, which makes me sad T.T . Everyone and their mum thinks Alex is a girl. It's a thing that will be a thing. Totes. Alex, who is a weakling, a guardian? Maybe~ If he was, we'll have to see some impressive training going on to make him a master fighter to be able to go against the Varia. Anyway, thanks so much for reviewing, and I hope I'll see you again :D.**_

_**Glasses and Spectacles: EEK! Thanks for giving me my longest review yet 3! OMG really? You must be one of the only people who get excited when I update lol, but I 'squeed' at that xD. School shopping sucks, but it is a thing that has to be done for school to be even a thing :D. If that makes any sense. Alex will be getting a bra. Just not yet :D. Kyoko thinks Alex is lying about saying he's a boy, which is pretty much the same for everyone that isn't Ryohei. Poor Alex. A mixture of both, really. It will follow the main storyline somewhat, but it will deviate as this story focu**__**ses on Alex, and his relationship with Ryohei and co. So expect the main story plus extra goodies to add character development. I have around 3/4 planned, and they'll all be non-canon. Thanks 3. Lol I don't know whether or not being poetic is an insult or compliment, but I'll take it as a compliment. It's just the way I write, and I hate using the same verb/noun/description twice, so I have to change it each time. that and #he# is EVERYWHERE in my work lol, there's only so many ways to describe someone without having to resort to He/She or Him/Her, which is sad. I'm glad you like the pace, words and Ryohei do not mix, so you have to use small actions to show that he cares lol. And I cannot just spawn a relationship out of no-where, so the recurring 'accidents' (I say it like that cause we all know Alex just wants to hold Ryohei's hand) are there to help build it. Just throw in some angst and then you have relationship development. Well, give or take a few things xD. Verde will be besties with Alex once he finds out that he hates Reborn, and they'll have super fun times whilst the rest of the world wonders what on Earth has happened and how they are gonna fix it. Hibari has a bad personality, and they are likely never to see eye-to-eye, Alex despises people like him and Hibari hates people like Alex. Even if Alex does find him gorgeous he'd much rather stick to Ryohei. Ryohei passes cause Alex does all his homework lol, it's a thing. That and he is pretty much his tutor for everything not P.E or Maths. And you doodle in yours too? OMG Me and my friend sit around in physics drawing pictures in the other's book, and my friend who sits next to me in Chemistry has an entire page filled with sneaky smiley faces that I drew without him noticing. He got his revenge for drawing the mother of all happy faces on my book - it was fun to explain to the teachers why it was there. And Ryohei is the lamest flirt around, but also the cutest. Even if he doesn't know it himself. A parade of Mitobes O.O. It would be the wierdest experience of my life. But not Alex's. He's had the joy of discussing metaphysics with Ryohei. I'll never be able to escape a bunch of stalking Mitobe's, unless I ran into a Hibari Cosplayer. That should do the trick. Lol, maybe he does got da booty, maybe he doesn't. He certainly isn't telling :P. Lol, It was good hearing from you, and I hope to see you no the next chapter :DDDD.**_

**_Wow, it's one in the morning and I'm going out tomorrow. Woo. This is going to be fun :DDDD. Anyway, once more, thanks to all the people who've read/followed/favourited/reviewed/spread this story, and I hope you've enjoyed it so far! :DDD_**

**_So until next time, Ciao Ciao :D._**


	6. Chapter 6

_**In the grand scheme of things, did anyone ever really matter? Are they ever important, cherished or most importantly needed. Convenience is all that was ever birthed from so-called important discoveries, and the world today wouldn't be able to last without them. So, in the end, what defines true importance – a selfless sacrifice? A hero or a villain? Life isn't some tragic performance, no matter how many people hope it to be so and there won't be some crazy, nonsensical ending that is your reward for standing through it. Life is hard, painful, and lonely – it would be wrong to call it a performance. All that you can try to do is to be important.**_

_**How do you become 'important'?**_

Alex sighed, putting down his pen and moving his homework into his school bag, moving to switch of the lamp that he had on at the moment. He was up late, putting on the finishing touches to his work, as it was for his all-time favourite subject and Ms Heartoak deserved to see that he was worthy enough to be one of the tutors, so this piece of work had to be perfect in order to seal the deal, so to speak. The work was about pessimism, so he had a lot to speak about on the subject. It seemed to fit his mood lately, as he was becoming more and more existential as time went by, having more and more relapses the longer he had to wait for a purpose.

It had been a while since he put down the journal, what with it now being almost half-past two and he longed to pick it up, even if it was only for some smidgeon of comfort. When he had it he felt like he was important to something and had a purpose, even if it was something he made up himself. Tempted to carry it around with him, he approached the red journal, the thought becoming more and more attractive the longer it lingered in his head. Reaching out his hand to grab it, he paused, before allowing it to crash onto the heavy oak desk as he realised just how stupid he, Alex Ivy, was being. Looking towards a book for temporary re-assurance was not healthy, and what would his sister do if she was here?

His sister was a strong woman, and very successful. Rich and with a happy family of her own, she was the oldest of his siblings, as a result the most responsible out of the lot. If he wanted to be like anyone in his family, it would be her, and none of his elder brothers. They were almost polar opposites: one was in construction and the other was in medicine. Not to mention that whilst one went to the gym almost hourly, if his little brother had to guess, the other saved lives. It was hard to be around them at times, so he often times ran away from them. Not that it wouldn't be the case now, as he would run away more so now than before, but he just felt inadequate. Whilst they oozed masculinity, he clearly didn't, if you couldn't tell. Long ginger hair, legs that could go for years and a pretty much hairless body, he could so very easily pass for a girl.

Which in and of itself was a point of scorn in his family. He was pretty damn proud of his hair, but they certainly weren't. Every time his sister was around him, she would turn around and say to him to get his hair-cut, but at least she would stop when asked to. His mother was a different case entirely: she made it her life's work to get his hair shaved. She never backed down, and berated him for looking like a girl every time she saw him. The only way that she would ever stop was if you exploded at her, which lost its touch after the first few times and she would start guilt tripping you for ever trying to 'hurt your poor mother'. It got to the point where they avoided each-other, and only ever saw the other when he went downstairs to cook himself some food for dinner or when he was putting his own food into the fridge.

Well, at least he was independent thanks to her, even if it came about via unconventional means, so he couldn't say that he didn't like her. He did, just not as much as his sister, who acted as his parent most of the time. She wanted weekly phone calls, even if they would cost a lot, due to the fact that they were so far away, and wouldn't let him send letters instead. This would be so much easier for him, as he wouldn't have to force out a conversation. Noting that he was drifting off to sleep, and that he was still on the desk, he forced himself off the desk and out of the door. Why, you may ask? Well, he needed to wash his hair and be up in a few hours to get to Ryohei's house. He called him over for some reason, and he was eagerly anticipating just why he was called there.

Creeping down the stairs as sneakily as possible (which, if he had to guess, was very, very sneaky) he made his way to the shower, stealing a towel off of the nearby rack outside of the bathroom. Stepping in to the shower-room, he stripped off and moved himself into what would be the trajectory of the spray. Leaning over, he lifted the stainless-steel lever, getting ready for the oncoming stream of water. And rained down it did. The scalding water cascaded onto his head, burning it intensely before he launched himself out of the shower, dripping wet from the burning deluge. His scream of pain was so loud that it had the potential to awaken all of Namimori with its intensity and pitch, so it was no surprise that he heard heavy footfalls clambering down the stairs.

Hearing the steps reach the bathroom door, he yanked the closest towel that he could get his hands on around his waist, so that he could have some modicum of dignity remaining after what will most likely be a very embarrassing sequence of events. The door-knob twisted before crashing forward, pushed open by the sheer force thrown by whoever opened it. Tsuna and Reborn stood in the doorway, with Tsuna panting at the mad dash and Reborn lying leisurely on top of Tsuna's brunet mop of hair, poised with a gun in hand to attack any and all intruders. Only seeing Alex stood in the middle of the bathroom, dripping wet and clad only in a skimpy towel, Reborn just stared at his chest before turning to Tsuna. Tsuna was arguably less composed than Alex was, and was trying to divert his eyes away from the Brit's skin.

An awkward silence pervaded the room, as all three occupants were in relative silence, with only the staccato pitter-patter of the shower in the background for noise. Blinking owlishly, the demonic Reborn released a predatory expression that both activated Tsuna's 'Hyper Intuition' and raised Alex's hackles. With cat-like grace, he waltzed over to the wary boy, stopping only to stare at his angry face before jumping up and grabbing onto the towel that was protecting his modesty. Moments before the fall, Alex realised he could do nothing that would be able to stop him from continuing on with his plan, and all he could do was withstand the fallout and hope that it doesn't go nuclear. Well, suffice, to say it went nuclear.

"Well, you certainly aren't a girl," Reborn said, eying the now mortified boy who was on his knees, covering his crotch with both hands whilst his face went supernova. He may not be able to see it yet, but Reborn was surprised. He had honestly thought that he was a flat-chested girl, but this certainly sealed the deal that he was male. Turning, he made his way out of the door, dragging a comatose Tsuna behind him. Hoping to all that was holy that Tsuna hadn't seen anything, he waited until they finally left before removing his hands and approaching the evil, evil shower. Manoeuvring his hand through the droplets, he adjusted the temperature, moving it down so that the water was bearable. Stepping in once more, he let the now relaxing water wash all his doubts away.

Giving him time to plan his revenge against Reborn. Plot after plot after plot were discarded, being deemed too risky, or too easy. The perfect plan did not come to Alex's mind, even in the hour he took showering. Yawning, he decided to head upstairs to bed, throwing his now soaking towel into the wash basket nearby and grabbing his sleeping gear. Making as much noise as possible past Tsuna's room, he entered his own before collapsing on his bed. Today had already started off a train-wreck, and he hoped that it wouldn't be a running trend and make the rest of the day a bad one. If it did, he would just have to hunt Reborn down and stab him with his own pet chameleon, even though there was a pretty high chance that he would survive that, the cockroach.

Hopefully Ryohei could make the day better. Keyword there being hopefully.

* * *

"How exactly ARE you so good at this? Isn't this like your _**extreme**_ first time?"

"I'm only good because I'm fast. Yours is too big to be effective."

"But, bigger is better in things like this. Boxing taught me that."

"Ryohei, Astaroth is too slow to even begin to touch Cassandra or Sophitia. You are going to have to step up your game if you want to keep up with them any time soon. Be Jin or something." Alex said, eying the character on the screen, as he tried to land a hit on the all too nimble opponent. Ryohei was having no luck, and ignored the block button even if that is one of the most important buttons in the game, allowing his character to land a devastating combo on the too large enemy and defeat him once and for all. Cheering, he did his victory pose whilst Ryohei pouted in the corner. It turned out that Ryohei had gotten a new fighting game, and wanted to play it with someone who he knew. Alex had demolished him with his chosen character, being an old pro at the game, and selected the same character again whilst Ryohei looked for someone to be.

"Y'know, Ryohei, do you think I would be able to copy that style? I mean, I would love to be able to fight like that against someone like Hibari, and absolutely demolish him with it." He asked, completely curious about whether or not it would be possible, or even useful for that matter. After all, it is in a video game, so it is unknown if it would actually be useful in real life. But considering there is a demon baby walking around Namimori and a vibrant underground led by a sixteen year old, Alex decided in his head that it would at the very least surprising to them. Ryohei turned, scrutinising the move-set off the two girls, before turning back to Alex with a stone-faced stare. Tensing, he awaited what would surely decide a lot of things in his life, moving closer to him in anticipation.

"You at least have the figure for it." Ryohei laughed, ignoring the anime-styled sweat drop on the back of the smaller's head. Ignoring that comment, he translated it from Ryohei into the rest of the world, coming to the conclusion that he thought that it may work. With a plan set, he rolled over to the console, turning it off when he realised that Ryohei didn't want to play anymore. Following the retreating Ryohei outside of his room, he let himself be led to the kitchen. Watching Ryohei sit down, he raised an eyebrow in confusion and voiced out loud just what he was doing here. Not amused in the slightest by the confused boy, he made his way over to him, poking him in the forehead now that he was actually taller than him.

"Didn't you say you were going to cook for me?" Ryohei asked, tilting his head to the side innocently, actually remembering something that he said. Alex, realising that he actually remembered instead of forgetting things like he did most other stuff, was caught between annoyance and pride. Deciding to see the cup half full, he decided to forget being annoyed, and be happy at the fact that Ryohei himself remembered something he said an hour ago, without having to be reminded by someone. Sighing, Alex made his way over to the fridge, rummaging through them in an attempt to find something suitable to eat, spotting only ramen in there; he turned with a look of exasperation towards Ryohei, which he returned with a sheepish grin and a shrug of his broad shoulders.

"Extremely sorry, I'm not really able to cook very much else, and Kyoko-chan eats out a lot with her friends." Ryohei apologised to the sweat-dropping teen, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. Shrugging his own shoulders, Alex just told him that it was 'nothing to be sorry about', before continuing his scavenger hunt inside the cupboards. Coming across, oddly enough, tomato puree in the back of the fridge and a load of flour in the cupboards, he got an amazing idea. Granted he didn't know how well it would go, but his phone has the internet so he will be fine with cooking it. Plan set up, he looked at Ryohei, who seemed to have figured out that he had found something, looking reminiscent of an excitable puppy.

"Ryohei… Have you ever had homemade pizza before? Or even just regular pizza?" He asked, whilst turning back to the cupboards searching for anything else he could use to cook the pizza with. Waiting for his reply, he pulled out some cheese from the fridge, setting it off to one side whilst continuing his monumental task. Taking out all the remaining toppings he could find, which weren't very many he should add, and turned back to him for his answer. Arming himself with what seemed to be an unused apron, he armed himself with one more, as Ryohei finally got round to answering his question.

"What's pizza?" Alex's face met the floor once again. It had been a while since they had last had a chat, so it seemed as if one of Ryohei's bombshells were dead set on making them meet again. Using the counter as a stand, he lifted himself up, gripping tightly to it as he tried to regain his balance. All Ryohei could do was watch in relative confusion, as Alex face-palmed himself repeatedly. Not even deigning it with a response, he threw a large apron at the teen's head, watching in vindictive glee as he fell off the chair. Using a cup, he scooped up a few cups of bread-flour, filling in the nearby bowl that he set out with around three cups. Filling another bowl with hot water, he dropped some yeast into it and waited for five minutes. Once it was all dissolved, and Ryohei had finally managed to get himself into the large apron that was thrown like a missile at his poor, innocent head, he threw the hot water, flour, salt and sugar (and a touch of olive oil) into a separate boy.

"Ryohei, I'm going to need you to make yourself useful in a minute, you'll see in a minute, but until then wash your hands before messing with food." Alex all but ordered, pointing with a free hand to a spot next to him for him to wait at whilst he got to work mixing the starchy mess into some form of spherical shape, whilst Ryohei was busy sorting out his hands. Noting him done, he extracted his hand from the sticky mess, before stealing Ryohei's and guiding him on how to do it. Leaving a red Ryohei behind whilst he searched for some more flour, he tuned out his cries of 'EXTREME KNEADING'. Finding just what exactly he was looking for, he called for Ryohei to stop whilst he sprinkled more and more flour on to the dough mix, to make it a lot less wet.

Extracting the dough ball, he had Ryohei liberal dose a third bowl with olive oil whilst he used his spare hand to turn the oven on to high and then back off after a few minutes. Seeing Ryohei having a little too much fun with coating the bowl with oil, he traded with him, letting him drop the circular mess into the bowl. Moving the ball around the bowl, liberally coating it in the oil, whilst he pulled out some plastic wrap from a drawer. Tearing a large portion off of the roll, he covered the lid of the bowl to stop anymore air getting in, before stuffing it in the now warm oven to let it rise. Tugging off his apron, he motioned to Ryohei for him to take his off as well, before exiting the room. The boxer quickly followed, over-taking the long-haired boy, as they allowed it to rise.

Well, Alex at least. Ryohei was confused as to why they left the room and when it will be done.

"Ryohei, Ryohei, Ryohei: we have to do something for an hour whilst the dough rises. Any suggestions?" He asked the excited boy. Sometimes he didn't know why he has to ask him, when it was already obvious as to what the impatient boxer would go for. Dragging the boy into the back-yard, he allowed him a short reprieve to put his phone away and move his necklace away from his neck so that it doesn't get damaged. He saw it on the way home once, and liked the look of the silver chain, so he bought it. It went well with his wardrobe, and it could be unhooked at the back, allowing him to slip something onto it to let it hang.

"ALEX! Are you ready for some training? Let's train accuracy today!" The eager boxer shouted out, ready to try and hit the limber boy, whilst he had to do everything in his power to avoid getting it. It was a good exercise for both of them, as it allowed Ryohei to work on his accuracy and his speed, and Alex to work on his evasion and speed. Putting some distance between the two of them, they wished the other luck before moving into motion. Dodging, twirling, and rolling: the world set into a blur as they trained and trained, trying there hardest to increase their physical abilities to the very maximum. Easily dodging a forward jab, he set himself up for an attack only to have to abort it when the jab gave way to a vicious hay-maker.

All Alex had to do was survive for an hour against a pent-up Ryohei. Well, it's certainly easier said than done.

* * *

Stumbling through the back door in a sweaty mess, the dueling duo finally put an end to the little bit of training they decided to do, and check on the dough they left to rise. In the end, Alex managed to dodge a large amount of hits, whilst Ryohei landed a surprising amount on to the dodging adolescent. They were pretty much even in terms of the training, but if it came down to a real fight, Ryohei would win hands down due to sheer determination and strength. Plus, in a real confrontation, Alex doesn't have the necessary strength to do enough damage to him to make it worthwhile to stick around and fight him, so in the end he would much rather run away. Somehow the training had put him in a really good mood, so he forced his almost numb legs into a choppy skip.

Manoeuvring himself over to the tap, he ignored his burning legs in favour of washing his hands, forcing a sweaty Ryohei upstairs to have a shower. Taking the now risen dough out of the oven, he set to work, brandishing a rolling pin like a blade; he went to town on the rebellious ball of dough, flattening it in record time. With the dough now flattened, he rolled it back up with his hands, before grabbing a knife and severing it in two. With two separate balls, he rolled them both out; uncapping the tomato puree after they were both flat and he had curled out the edges, doubling it in on itself. Spreading the tomato puree around the duo of pizzas, starting inwards and moving outwards, before finishing it off with a second run of it. Taking the cheese(s), he spread out the many different types over the top of the pizza, deciding on making it a simple mozzarella and not something special – after all he didn't really have anything else in the house to work with, unless ramen is now a suitable topping for pizza. With the easy part done, he stuck the two identical pizzas into the surprisingly spacious oven, and tried to tidy up the mess before Ryohei came down and made it a bigger one.

With the counter cleared, he had fifteen minutes to kill before the pizzas were done, so he decided a change of clothes would be the next suitable course of action, plodding upstairs and past a singing Ryohei into his room. Searching through Ryohei's closet, he pointedly ignored looking in the cupboards no matter how much his curiosity wanted to take a peek, and nabbed a towel, a spare plain T-shirt and some old track suits (which his inner fashionista cringed at whilst his dignity ran for the hills) that looked like they were from before Ryohei even started puberty. Leaving the room fully prepared to at least have a shower before serving up the pizza, he waited anxiously for Ryohei to leave the bathroom. Ten minutes passed, and he couldn't risk taking a shower now without burning the pizza, so he made his way downstairs scowling at the unfairness of it all, even more so when his scowl made him look like he was pouting.

Not amused by it at all, he checked on the pizzas, and noticing that they were both done to perfection, took them out of the oven. Noticing that they were covered in a lovely golden glaze, and that the cheese looked as if a professional had made it and then photo-shopped it to make it look even better, he patted himself on the back for a job well done. Plating the better of the two, he covered the other in tin foil before placing it in the centre of the table. Noticing the fact that Ryohei still wasn't down yet, he made his way to the bottom of the stairs, before hollering up at the still singing Ryohei that it was finally done. Smirking in sheer satisfaction, he could hear the racket Ryohei was making as he tried to rush down the stairs at the same time as get some pants on, tripping half way down them and crushing Alex underneath his significant muscle mass and superior size.

Crushed underneath Ryohei, he realised that he was in this position a lot. The floor seemed to love them falling on it, as this must be at least the third time that they have been on the floor with each other. Winded, he allowed himself to be dragged up and behind the fully recovered Ryohei, who was following his nose to the kitchen and from there to the dining room table. Staring at the pizza, he went to pick it up whole without cutting it and eating the heavenly circle with no mercy. Luckily, Alex was able to smack his hand away, intercepting it and giving him a knife instead. At his questioning look, he explained that you had to cut the pizza first before eating it. Eying the knife in his hand, he cut the pizza clean in two, before repeating it until there was only perfect slices. Letting Ryohei take the first slice, he watched his face, eager to see his reaction to his own cooking. Time seemed to slow down as it approached his mouth, drifting on and on, looking more like the passing of time then what it actually was.

He took a bite. And erupted into a massive grin, demolishing the rest of it in seconds. Reaching for a second slice and doing the same to it as he had done to its brethren. Reaching for a slice of his own, he couldn't help but to comment on his eating habits, before questioning him on how he felt about the pizza and how it tastes. Ryohei, without pause, was now on to his third slice of goodness, destroying more and more of it without any signs of relenting any time soon.

"EXTREME…TASTES! You're going to be cooking this for me more. Well you are just going to be cooking more for me in general." Ryohei demanded shovelling more pizza in his mouth as he spoke. Alex could only snag one more slice of his hard work, as Ryohei finished off the last slice. Watching him collapse onto a chair, content with what he ate; Alex stealthily made his way over to the counter, where his second pizza lay hidden in plain sight. Lifting it up, he made his way for the front door, hoping to spare the second pizza from Ryohei's stomach. Seeing it was about time to go anyway, he stood at the front door, waiting to see how long it would take for him to notice that he wasn't in the same room as him anymore.

Waiting patiently, his watch spelt '18:43' when Ryohei arrived at the front door, ready to see him off. He had been waiting for at least ten minutes waiting for him, but he didn't care. After all, he had been lucky enough that he had not been forgotten by the boxer – with his memory it was certainly possible. Saying their goodbyes, they went their separate ways: Ryohei heading inside and Alex taking the short trek home with a promise to meet the other in front of the school tomorrow. The evening air was refreshing, cooling his still heated skin from training as he lightly jogged through the park. Houses turned into blurs, as he sped past each non-descript house one by one, before slowing down enough to reach the house without running into any walls like he did last time.

Knocking on the front door whilst making it a point to ignore the whining Chihuahua right next door, he waited for Nana to open the door so that he could share the pizza he made with her. He didn't have to wait long, as Nana opened the door whilst trying to tie an apron that she had put on. If Alex had to guess what was going on, it would be that she had just put dinner on but was rushing about for something. Voicing his question out loud as they made their way back inside and into the kitchen, he took a seat, waiting for her to answer it. She seemed conflicted about whether or not she should say it to him, but relented when she saw that he wouldn't really judge her if it was something bad.

"I… don't have enough food to cook for everybody. I only have enough food stocked for tomorrow morning's breakfast, and Tsuna has his two handsome friends round." Nana said this, acting as if it was the end of the world as we know it, as Alex tried to comprehend why exactly she was getting so worked up over it. Seeing as she was starting to go into hysterics about it, he sighed, sacrificing his hard-made pizza. Noting that she was calming down he promised to take it upstairs and give it to the teens, if she would have a slice and tell him what it needed. Nodding, she took one, before tasting the slice of mozzarella. Chewing slowly, she swallowed it, before focusing her attention on to Alex once more as he waited for her expert critique.

"Needs a little bit more salt, but otherwise perfect, though this was the first time I've eaten pizza in a while. You need to teach me to make it so I can cook it for them myself." Listening to the advice like the culinary gospel it was, he promised to teach her if she relaxed and let him cook sometimes, or at least taught him how to cook food like hers. Calling out the promise after his retreating back, she smiled happily; glad that she will be having some help in the kitchen and around the house, so that she can have a little bit of time for herself, and not for others for once. Making his way up the stairs, he heard the loud conversation long before he could see it, knocking on the door; he waited until he was allowed passage inside.

Staring balefully at the triumphant Reborn and the blushing Tsuna, he smiled at the two other people in the room. They seemed to be polar opposites of the other, one tall, the other short, so on so forth. Gokudera was glaring at Yamamoto, who was smiling at Alex, who had entered the room during their rather one-sided argument about an analysis question.

"Hello Tsuna, Gokudera, Yamamoto. I made pizza over at Ryohei's, so eat it or someone dies." With that said, he placed the pizza in the miraculously clean table before walking back out the room. He didn't want to be near either Tsuna or Reborn at the moment, certainly not after the fiasco that went on downstairs this morning. But before he could make his move and escape, he was foiled before he truly began by the Harbinger of Despair. With a shotgun held high, he stood imperiously in the doorway, not allowing him to escape any time soon. Ignoring the questioning look Tsuna was throwing his way, he sat on the spare corner of the table that wasn't filled with paper. Getting annoyed at the questioning glances, he raised his head, meeting them head on with a raised eyebrow.

"Maa maa, pizza-chan, who are you?" The dark haired one, Yamamoto his mind supplied, that was his name. Stupidly tall, he towered over everyone with his freakish height, and stared innocently at the angry boy, who was suddenly calm at the realisation that he hadn't actually told them his name. Staring apologetically at the two, he made way to introduce himself to them.

"I'm Alex Ivy. Or Ivy Alex if you want me to not be confusing. I'm from the United Kingdom, so I'm a little bit sketchy on traditions, which was why I asked to transfer schools to Japan for a bit" He said, giving the two a lengthy introduction to make up for the fact that he all but ignored them before. Yamamoto just smiled, forgetting that there was ever something wrong in the first place.

"I'm Yamamoto Takeshi, but if you want me to make it easier on you, you can call me Takeshi if you want, Alex-chan." Yamamoto shrugged, easy-doing smile all over his face as he introduced himself. Turning to Gokudera, who was fuming in the corner, Tsuna all but ordered him to introduce himself to the new-comer. Snarling at him, he looked the other way, tearing into the pizza he brought in unrepentantly.

"Gokudera Hayato. Don't talk to me. Don't look at me. I don't like you. The sooner we get this out the sooner you can leave my life, fangirl!" Gokudera snarled, unaware that he just set off a literal time bomb. Tsuna, using a juvenile form of Hyper Intuition, made himself as small as possible, fearing for his life as Alex's smile turned positively frigid. Eying the scowling boy, he didn't see what was so special about what was in front of him.

_I knew I was right! Guess like I know more about people than I thought, huh? Wait, who am I talking too? _Ignoring the voice in his head, his eyes turned glacial blades, ready to impale the delinquent in a gory mess.

"Pleasure to meet you, Gokudera Hayato. From what I know so far of you, you cannot spell correctly, you don't understand Shakespeare and even I can tell that, between the two of us, that I can see your erroneous hamartia a mile away. And just for the record, is that hair supposed to be attractive? Because at the moment all I can see is that you stole a dying octopus from the local aquarium and stuck it to your head." After that outburst, they quickly put outside their differences and got married and ran off into the sunset with flying unicorns and the seven dwarfs, right?

Wrong. The polar opposite occurred. The fight of the century occurred between the two of them, with neither of the two giving up. All the others could do was stare and eat pizza, watching the showdown in earnest.

"Shut your mouth, ginge!"

"I'm sorry, was that supposed to be insulting? Because all I heard was a toddler trying to blend in with intellectuals."

"Your hair is ugly!"

"So is your face, but you don't see me complaining about it."

On and on it went, neither side giving up. The argument would have continued, but Yamamoto had to go home, dragging Gokudera out with him. With them two gone, it was only a matter of time before he himself had to go to bed. So, after heading to his room, he locked the door, eager to get started on his journal entry for the day.

* * *

_**Dear Sexy (SQUEEEEE~ TODAY WAS A THING ERMERGERF I 3 IT ALL THE TIME :DDD) **_

_**Date: 29/04/13 Objective: PIZZA 3 and getting some auxiliary information on the dynamic duo **_

_**Today was infinitely better then yesterday, as angst was not a thing. Today, it was all the fluff. All of it. I found a brand new fighting style that could be a thing, now all I have to do is find someone who knows how to use a short sword and small shield and I will be set. I'm not sure what to ask, if I ever find a shop that sells the things. Highly unlikely, but could happen. You never know. And what are you even talking about you don't know. You're a book- you don't have arms to use a sword with.**_

_**Silly book, thinking you have arms. Who do you think you are, an RPG monster? Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but you aren't. Sad, but very true.**_

_**Anyway, back on track with today. I made pizza. And dodged people and made more pizza. I ate the pizza, but not as much pizza as I would of liked. Ryohei took like all of the pizza slices, and then I had to sacrifice the pizza for the pizza hungry trio. Reborn luckily didn't get to have any. Not after what he did this morning. But at least I got complemented on my pizza making skills. Wow…I have written pizza a lot there. Count all the times I just said pizza and take a shot each time I/you/me does it. It's a new drinking game :DDDD.**_

_**Born from, you know, pizza! (I'm sorry I couldn't help myself, forgive me)**_

_**Anyway if you couldn't already tell pizza was a thing today. Then there was a half-naked Ryohei who was dripping wet landing on my way too small body. He is way too heavy for a fourteen year old, but in saying that Namimori is a very strange place. This is probably a common theme you know, so I don't know what I am even complaining about, DON'T JUDGE ME SEXY! YOU DON'T KNOW ME! YOU DON'T KNOW MY STORY!**_

_**Wow. What was that even supposed to be. Hold me Sexy D: I'm scared!**_

_**Lol, I think I am going to put down this book. But before then I might as well share my info about the enemy.**_

_**Gokudera has bombs for weapons. And Leon can literally turn into anything. **__**Anything.**__** Just let that sink in for a few moments before I leave. Okay, it sunk in? Well I'm gone, bye.**_

_**Goodnight~**_

_**Signing out, Alex (ERMERGERD-PIZZA-AND-FRIENDS-IT'S-A-THING-YOU-DON' T-KNOW) Ivy.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 6, FIN~**_

_**OMG LIKE NO ANGST 3. Lol I just realised that he is such a slingshot when talking about his personality. At least he found a fighting style again, he just needs to find one. I'll give something to the person who guesses the correct answer. Maybe a one-shot or something like that. It's really obvious when you think about it, and it made me squee when I thought of it.**_

_**Anyway, thanks people for reading, but I'm in that awkward stage of having more followers than reviews, which I find strangely hilarious. I may change the schedule again, but probs not.**_

_**Anyway, on to the review corner~ We only have one today xD.**_

_**Glasses and Spectacles: GURL YOU AINT LATE! LATE WOULD BE RIGHT NOW LOL! I'm always half asleep, and I spend way too long typing chapters of this story up. I cant be bothered uploading drabbles today lol, way too tired xD. I think I need to sleep, to be honest~. Lol, you are like the only one to get excited xD, but I'm glad you're happy when I update :DDD. A lacy bra... May or may not be a thing. If it is, it will be coming up soon. I think. I may need to go back and check my sources xD. If not then it wont be a thing till much later. I think :P. Thanks for calling my writing pretty~. Not many people do. But in saying that not many people read my stuff, but that's life~. Character development will be a thing. There may or may not be some going on in this chapter, but you might have to squint to find it. Ryohei is an action man all the way. I mean looking at him, he doesn't seem to be the sort of guy who can walk up to someone and have a debate about life and death and go into amazing philosophical debate with someone. Gokudera seems very much the same, which is why sudden argument was a thing right then. They needed a relationship, so I literally thought that they would clash - he is a bit like Hibari, so they clashed. I need to fit him into a chapter, he's seriously not been around enough to annoy Alex. Drawing is good. I'm just sad that I am really, really bad at it. Which is sad as I would have drawn him and put him onto the internet as the cover picture. Oh well, too late now to worry about it. Ryohei is the best flirt ever. I'm being totally serious here lol. If he asked me out I would say yes :P. Mitobe would go all TYL on the cosplayer, and all nearby cosplayers, and take them all down. I'm sure it would be a thing xD. Ryohei does have Sun flames, and even if he doesn't know it, he can still try and help injured people - it's just apart of his personality. It's always good to give minor characters some back-story and a personality, as minor characters are important in their own right and have the potential to be main characters. the story is controlling me at the moment it seems, so Mrs Heartoak ma return once more~. It could happen. Maybe. Tsuna is the comic relief, he always has to suffer xD. Lol, I'm happy you are enjoying the story, and I hope you continue to do so with this chapter~. So until next time you review. adios, and I hope you read this chapter and enjoy it :DDDD~**_

_**And as usual, thanks to reviewers/followers/readers/favourite-rs/spreaders and I hope you enjoy the next installment of 'Goodbye Halcyon Days'.**_

_**Until next time, Sayonara :D**_


	7. Chapter 7

It was nearing the end of dusk and approaching dawn when he next awoke. The soft breeze was refreshing, drifting languidly into the room via the slightly ajar windows. Alex blearily opened his eyes, fighting against the sleep that was trying to drag him back into Morpheus' abyss. Fighting against the covers, he rolled out of bed and towards his school pack. Rummaging through incessantly, he yanked out a sheet of paper, scanning it with half-lidded eyes. He was looking for something, and his eyes lit up though the haziness when he found it. The paper was extremely important – after all, it was his school time-table, and he needed to know what was in store for today. Eying it with trepidation, he sighed, scowling at the fact that he did indeed have P.E both today and tomorrow.

Dismay clear in viridian orbs, he slowly rose from the heap he was in on the floor, resembling a brain-dead zombie more than an actual human. Shambling forward like the living dead he was currently mimicking, he stepped through the bare boundary that spanned between his lair and the hallway. The stairs proved to be a monumental trial, but he managed to scale down them like a pro, only making a mistake right near the end, where he could actually recover before he hurt himself. Stepping into the kitchen like he belonged there, he set to work, flicking switches, turning knobs - the works. Soon all the machinery was on, kettle fully prepared for coffee, the oven lit and the lights actually on instead of off. Squinting through the bright light, he patiently waited for his eyes to become accustomed to the blinding rays, glad that he had the foresight to leave that to the end, even if he was more likely to stub his toe with it off than on.

When his eyes finally got used to the searing light, he made his way to the fridge/freezer combo in the corner, rifling through it. Finding his prey with relative ease, he filched some eggs from their plastic prison, cracking the delicate shells with ease on the pan, watching the pearly whites sizzle on the top of the pan. Sausages soon followed, but on a different pan the eggs. Finally, the bacon was put on a third pan, sizzling and spitting away. Cooking a builders breakfast, the colloquial name for the greasy delicacy, was not what he would usually cook for breakfast seeing as it was not to his tastes, but he refused to become sloppy on one of the things his family (or more specifically, brothers) loved. Pouring cool water into a kettle, he flicked the switch, setting it to boil for use when the actual coffee lovers came down from where they lurk.

Staring absentmindedly at an annoying pest, he subconsciously flipped the sausages, before leaving them to continue their time in the frying pan. An aromatic concoction flew into the air, travelling upstairs and making its' home on the upstairs landing. This odour made its way into Tsuna's room, awakening the slumbering beast known as Reborn almost immediately. The adolescent rose from his spot near Tsuna's bed, before making his way downstairs, wary of the unfamiliar yet oh so familiar smells originating from the kitchen. Making his way into the kitchen, he was blessed with the sight of a half asleep Alex cooking away. Seeing a chance to spook his third favourite whipping boy, the other two spots taken by Skull and Tsuna respectively, he crept up behind him, using all the skills in his respectable arsenal to ensure that he wouldn't be noticed, smirking malevolently at the unaware teen.

Only to be foiled by the number one oblivious person in the house. Nana Sawada stumbled into the soon-to-be bustling kitchen, eagerly grabbing onto the annoyed Reborn. With a serene smile on her face, she said the customary greeting, and was gifted with a sleepy smile from the feminine teen. Taking the all-too-familiar position near the rice maker, she got started on preparing some rice, still not relinquishing her hold on the frustrated. Seeing the oni brat suffer in the mother's vice-like grip, Alex smirked, happy to see karma was taking a stand against the fedora wearing not-baby. Turning his attention back to the breakfast, he made sure that it wouldn't burn, and when he was convinced that it wouldn't, turned his head to observe the more senior cooks movements. She stood there, slicing and dicing away at some vegetables before taking the vacant spot on the hob. Nana was a professional in the kitchen, if her skills were anything to go by. Whilst all the food was cooking, he offered to grab the mail from outside, which she let him do.

Making his way over to the letterbox outside, he collected the mail, casually flicking through the letters in the hopes of finding anything interesting. Nothing like finding a letter from Hogwarts, just something that wasn't bills after bills after bills, anything really to break the monotony of it. Even if it was just a letter from the school, it would be something different, and as a result something good. Finding one such letter, addressed to 'Alex Ivy', seeing that it was addressed to him and not the common 'Sawada Nana' or the slightly rarer 'Sawada Tsunayoshi', he tore away the roof of the letter and unfolded the pristinely white sheet, being careful as to not to rip it. Eyes scanning the paper, just like he did to his time-table earlier, he skimmed over the text, eyes turning down-cast when he read over the first half, and then swiftly becoming intrigued at the second half of the generic letter.

The first half was the generic 'I hope you are doing well at our school' spiel that everyone gets when they are new to an established educational body, which gave way to the general comments like 'how is it?' and 'is there any problems'. The second half however was what he was most interested in, seeing as it held two very important tid-bits that made him both happy and curious. It stated that today was a teacher training day, so there was no school until tomorrow – a fact that led Alex to believe it was anything but that, considering the fact that there was no declaration or note passed around the student body to inform anyone about it. Even though it set him on edge and his mind whirling at the possibilities, it wasn't the most pressing piece of information that was imprinted on the official document.

No, the most important piece was the completely unique appendix that was directed to him, and all the other tutors that were in the school. After stating that each one would have different students, it diverged onto who was teaching who. Seeing as it had no other name but his own, he deduced that the others had only their name on it and no one else's. He had quite a few names on the sheet: some he knew and some he didn't. In no particular order, there was 'Yamamoto Takeshi', 'Tsunayoshi Sawada', 'Chie Inari', 'Setsuna Setsuka', 'Sasagawa Ryohei' and finally 'Ryu Tatsu'. Seeing that he didn't know a majority of them, he sighed looking over just what he needed to teach them in. With the three that he knew, it was everything that he was allowed to tutor them in. With the three that he didn't, it was just biology – a subject which he was decent enough to teach younger years, if he had to say so himself.

Not looking forward to the endeavour after reading that Ryu was a delinquent, Chie was a sports fanatic and Setsuna was a fashion obsessed, Yamamoto fangirl, he sighed, mentally preparing himself for the trial that lay ahead. Making a mental note to bring a brush just in case something goes wrong and he needed to smack someone on the back of the head with it, he twisted on his heel, making the return trip to the relative comfort of the kitchen. Half happy that he had a day off from school though not amused that he had to plan six separate lessons for six different people, he gave the letters that were not addressed to him over to Nana. Flicking his hair in aggravation at the fact that Reborn was still in his life, and eating the breakfast he made, which must have been set out by Nana whilst he was out of the house. Glaring at the current source of his ire, he strode over whilst she read over the letters, pulling a face at some of the bills.

"Reborn… I have a question for you…" Without waiting for the eating Arcobaleno to answer, he blustered onwards, not exactly caring that he was being rude in the presence of the elder Sawada "Why are you eating something that certainly DOESN'T belong to you?" he finished, reaching a hand towards public enemy number two (or at least in his eyes Reborn is it, and in his eyes Hibari was public enemy number one), fishing for the fork in the hit man's hand. Not exactly ready to relinquish his hold on the silver cutlery, his spare hand reached out to the snacking Leon on his shoulder – making the chameleon pause and acquiesce to his silent demand, shifting into triple barrelled shotgun. Pointing the behemoth of a weapon at the now stunned teen, he continued to eat away as if he wasn't currently holding a shotgun that could probably knock down a house. Staring at the surreal shotgun, he could not help but notice the fact that it had eyes on either side of the weapon.

"You say something, Baka-Alex? I thought I heard you say that I could eat the food you cook no matter what it was. I am not wrong in saying that, am I? Well thank you for your kind offer." Reborn all but sung, as the still shell-shocked Alex retreated. Trying to formulate a witty response to the number-one hit man was a hard task – his silver tongue failed him, feeling more like lead than anything else. Trying to argue with Reborn was like trying to flirt with a brick wall he realised, all it ended up doing was making you look like a mental hospital reject, or a freak with a wall fetish. Stopping before it ended with someone's blood being spilt, more likely to be him than Reborn, he made his way back to the oven, hoping to all that was good in the world that there was at least a few omelettes left. Before he could leave the table, he was stopped by Nana, who gifted him with an omelette she had managed to spare from Reborn's hungry wrath. Praising the culinary goddess in front of him, he tuck in, eager to taste some of his hard work.

"Dame-Ginger, you talking to anyone makes you look like an idiot. Actually, you just existing makes you look like an idiot," Reborn replied, listening in to his thoughts like the demonic toddler he was. There was no privacy for him anywhere, was there? Sighing in dismay, he ignored Nana's curious gaze in favour of looking at his phone. He was up stupidly early for no reason – he may as well see Ryohei who must be up by now. Standing and making his way over to the door, he just shook his head in embarrassment, saying goodbye to the still confused woman as he escaped into the outside world, before realising that he was still in pyjamas, and rushing back through the door and upstairs. Swiftly getting changed into something decent, he launched himself down the stairs, not even bothering to check if he woke up Tsuna by accident.

Ignoring the knowing smirk on Reborn's face in favour of a quick sandwich, he pre-empted the caustic comment and delivered one of his own. After all, it wouldn't do to let the hit man believe he could get one over on him without there being some form of repercussions. He wasn't one to let transgressions from someone like Reborn go.

"You aren't allowed to speak, Fedora-Freak. You look as if someone stuck a lamp-shade on an ugly baby." Evacuating the area before Reborn could reply, he launched out of the front door, phoning Ryohei on the side-walk as he ran to the park. It rung once, twice, three times before timing out, the mechanical woman dictating that Ryohei was unable to take my call. Sighing in exasperation, he decided to leave it and phone the Sasagawa residence directly, as it was obvious that Ryohei forgot that he had a phone. Surely Kyoko must be in for him to ask, as she doesn't really seem the type to miss the letter, considering it was important and all. Seeing the park in sight he sat down, relaxing as he awaited the auburn haired girl to answer the phone. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long for her to reply, and hearing the dulcet tones on the other side caused him to eagerly degenerate into some form of twisted nattering that seemed more bug than human. Ironically, she soon copied him, allowing them to create some form of discordant symphony. However, soon enough, the talk returned to some semblance of normalcy, allowing them to actually get to the crux of the matter.

"Umm, Kyoko-chan, I don't suppose you know where Ryohei is? I mean, it's no school today and I'm worried about him. Knowing him, he didn't realise that there was a letter stating that we had the day off so…" He trailed off, half not knowing what to say and half worried that he was talking too much. The girl on the other side of the connection paused, pondering just how to answer the question. In the lull of the conversation, you could literally hear the cogs in the girls head whirling as she tried to think about where he was. Alex was quickly losing hope that she knew where he was, and was about to tell her that he had to go, before just biting the bullet and going to school, even if the hell-spawn Hibari Kyoya was there.

"I'm so sorry that I can't help you. Maybe he would be at school though; if you said that you would meet up there? I'm sad that I can't help more though…" Kyoko replied, despondency evident as she delivered the bad news in a manner that made him feel bad for asking. Alex just sighed – an action that he seemed to be doing a lot lately. Thanking her immensely for the help, even if he didn't get any concrete help, he said goodbye to her. Before she reciprocated, she said that he would contact him if he returned home, and that when he did so she'll make him stay put until he got there. With all that said and done, he stood up, making his way outside of the park and on the way to school.

_Sasagawa Ryohei, if you are not at school when I get there, you'll have hell to pay for making me worried!_

* * *

Approaching the iron-clad gates with a seething aura, he twirled, scanning the area for signs of exuberant boxer, before seeing none of the signs that indicated the destructively excitable boxer was ever even here. Dismayed by the lack of Ryohei in the area, he gave the area another once-over, hoping that he had missed something that would give him some hint or clue as to where he was. Without students in the area, Namimori Middle resembled a make-shift fortress than an actual school. Tall, iron gates gave off an aura that screamed synthetic and unnatural, and almost seemed to be telling the rest of the world to get out of its' sight. Brick and stone compounded on this effect, amplifying this effect by making the building look like an elaborate prison. All that was missing was the barbed wire, and the school wouldn't be a school, as much as it would be a prison.

Not willing to stick around whilst it gave off so many oppressive vibes, he shivered, migrating away from the building and back the way he came, taking the shortcut that would let him pass by the nearby primary school. Walking down the street, he kept on the lookout, eyes focused as he tried to find signs of the lovable white-haired teen. Making a quick pit-stop at a nearby convenience store, he mulled over the contents of the fridge, before plucking a can of 'Dr. Pepper'. Waltzing towards the front, he couldn't help but over hear the sounds of a scuffle outside, instantly making him curious as to what it could be. Paying for the drink with some of his change, he quickly put it in the plastic bag offered, and made his way over to the source. Peeking around the corner of the entrance, he was gifted with the sight of an all-too-familiar boy being surrounded by an all-too-familiar group of delinquents.

_Oh, sorry, I meant 'Disciplinarians'. _He thought, disgusted by the return of the scum. Plucking the nearby bin's lid of its' resting point on the floor, and snagging a pipe that conveniently littered the floor nearby, he made his presence known by smacking them together, making an impressively loud _crashing_ sound that made a few of them jump. Amused by their reaction, he coughed, forcing all eyes on him as he made his way forward, walking proudly through the disgusting alleyway. Staring them down, he waited for them to run towards him, not even bothering to taunt the idiotic bunch. However, instead of this occurring, the opposite happened. They ran. Dashing out of the alleyway, they ran out of the alleyway and down the streets, fanning out and disappearing. Confused, he tilted his head to the side, eying the remaining committee member.

_He seems to be different… _His mind supplied, a thought that his eyes seemed to agree with. The remaining delinquent was shifting hesitantly, as if he didn't know how to respond to the boy in front of him, who was brandishing a metal pipe like a blade. He was tall, but not as tall as Yamamoto, and had the same colour hair as him. Looking almost like a shorter version of him, you could almost mistake them as relatives; if he didn't know better he would say he was. He wore the trademark armband around his right arm, and was a low rank. If he had to guess what he was feeling right now, it would be anger, if that impressive glare had anything to do with it. He seemed to be trying to set him on fire with his eyes, which would be scary to any normal person.

"Pardon me, but I couldn't help but notice you were trying to hurt this little boy. Would you please satiate my curiosity and tell me _why _you were bullying this kid, _**again**_?" Not amused with the person in front of him at all, he glared right back into mocha orbs, completely unafraid of the teen spelling death with his eyes. Alex waited for a response from his foe, surprised by the almost conflicted face he pulled. Just about to lose hope for an answer, he shifted, just as he actually replied with a response.

"We needed to send out a message." The grunt said, humouring him with a response that he clearly wasn't expecting. Raising an eyebrow in alarm, Alex's mind quickly repeated it over again, pouring emphasis onto the word 'message'. Completely curious as to what he meant by 'message', he decided that he needed to know this little bit of information if he ever wanted to get the delinquents to stay away from the kid. Whilst he was having this non-verbal war, said little kid was staring at him almost rapturously. Considering he needed to find Ryohei, he needed answers to his question, sooner rather than later.

"A…message? What do you mean by message? What sort of message could you be trying to give by attacking a child? I mean, last time you attacked, you were obviously looking for money." Alex shot off, firing off a rally of questions at the formidable teen. This little foray in verbal warfare wasn't giving him any answers, just opening thousands more. It seemed that there is a lot more to this than meets the eye and he was determined to get to the bottom of this, today. As if sensing his resolve to find out information, the grunt shut down, refusing to answer any more questions in favour of using his fists.

_Well, this certainly didn't go to plan…_ His mind commented, and if it had popcorn it would be eating it right now as the large teen went to throw a punch at the red-head. Taking into account the fact that he couldn't just jump out of the way off the hit, considering that he had a child behind him who would get hit if he moved out the way, he cursed, staying adamantly in front of the kid. Seeing the fist flying toward his face, he raised his make-shift shield in front of it, protecting him. His arm shook painfully at the force behind the blow, rattling him, but gave him an opportunity to strike whilst he was cradling his wounded fist. Swinging the pipe in a wide arc, he aimed to take him down in one blow, so that his ward wouldn't have any risk of being in any more danger.

Watching it connect, he watched in grim satisfaction as he was knocked down for the count. He certainly won't be getting up for a while, if the force behind the blow said anything. Gesturing for the kid to follow him, he listened in amusement to the mad ramblings that stalked him, as he literally dragged him into the convenience store. Leaving him in the capable hands of the convenience store, who informed him that she could take care of him and 'knew enough first aid to look after an unconscious teenage boy'. Thanking her, she told him no problems, and asked that he called her Sakuya-san. Nodding once again in gratitude, he left the happy worker, and made his way to the primary school.

"Hey pretty lady, why exactly are we walking to the school?" The excited boy asked, voice turning to disgust when his tongue formed the word school. Smiling at the kid, he just told him that he must have school today, considering that it was a weekday. The kid just pouted in response, walking towards the school in an amicable silence. When they were almost there, he cheered up, announcing something about letting him meet his friends. Just letting the kid speak was good enough for him, just allowing the child to direct the conversation as he pleases. Spying the gates in the distance, Alex moved in front of the unknown child, pausing only briefly to ask his name.

"Oh, my name is Natsu Mitsurugi. Yours?" He asked, finally realising that they still hadn't introduced themselves to the other. Alex replied with his own name, sighing when he refused to believe that he was a male, forcing the conversation to degenerate into a rather one-sided argument between the two. What with the fact that you cannot exactly fight back against a six year old. Escorting Natsu-chan back to class, he waved goodbye, not sticking around for too long, just to explain why he was late. Leaving the room, he couldn't help but hear the teacher comment on the fact that Natsu had a very pretty and responsible sister who would make a lovely mother, making the red-head utterly confused as to why everyone thought he was a girl. Just ignoring the stares of the curious kids, he made his way outside, continuing his self-gave mission of finding Ryohei.

Moving further away from the school building, he checked his watch for the time. Noting the fact that it was already mid-day, and he left for the school at the normal time, he realised that he has been looking for him for at least four hours. With mounting worry, he dashed through the bustling crowds, dodging the crowding people with agility that he has been working hard to build. The crowds dwindled and dwindled, decreasing in size until there was hardly anyone around. Whilst he may have escaped the crowds, he did so at great risk, as now he was lost in Namimori's rough areas. Not exactly the sorts of places that he would want to be lost in, let alone be anywhere near the vicinity of the area. Stopping by a nearby building that was tinted yellow from the dirt, he rested up, trying to get some of his energy back.

Warily dragging his eyes around the area, he was glad to see that it was still too early for the nocturnal dealers to be about, a fact that he was immensely happily for. These streets were devoid of all life, and he didn't know whether or not he should be happy about that or not. On the one hand, it's good that he could be in relative safety, as there weren't any 'shady' people around that could harm him. Though on the other hand there is a very slight chance that he could be wandering the eerie streets for quite some time, without anyone around to help him get back to his house. Popping open the metal seal on the can, he downed the 'Dr. Pepper' like a pro, before setting off on his way home, or at least the approximate direction of the 'Sawada' residence.

Making his way down the empty streets, he took in the sights, the sounds and the smells, comparing it to Namimori as he went. This sector of Namimori completely contradicted everything he knew about the place, as this seemingly perfect place had a sector like this. Eager to get home, he ran through the labyrinthine suburb, not taking care to check where he was going. He had no clue as to where to start, so he might as well just hope for the best and wing it. It's never failed before, so why will it now? Leaping over bins and over puddles, he twisted around suspicious piles of needles (taking extra care to avoid being even a meter near the disgusting things) and round the sides of buildings.

There were so many twists and turns to this place, he soon became even further lost than before, instead of getting out of the area like he had hoped. Despair settled in, as their seemed to be no way for him to get home without encountering the least savoury people in the area. Sighing, he looked for anything that could help him find a way home, his eyes landing on a strange old man. Well, strange in the sense of 'why is he here of all places', so maybe surreal would be a better way to describe the man. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, he approached the man, eager to find why on Earth he was here of all places. Walking closer to the elderly person, making sure his steps are loud enough for him to hear _just in case he is the type of old man that reacts badly to surprises_. Not wanting to give him a heart attack, he coughed loudly, to alert the old man and make his presence known.

"Pardon me, but… What exactly are you doing in this part of town? It's not exactly the most reputable…" He started, before pausing when the old man turned to face him fully. Steely blue orbs seemed more like daggers than eyes, digging into Alex's soul ferociously. If he had to use one word to describe him, it would be dangerous. Proud jawline gave way to thin, chapped lips which sat underneath a large moustache. His silver hair was unkempt, growing wildly and unchecked. He looked like he has seen war, if the pain that was almost omnipresent on his features had anything to say about it. Horrific scars tell their own story, of love and war and death and life, but he couldn't feel pity for the man. It just didn't feel right to pity a man that had been through so much, all he could do was respect just what this man had obviously been through.

_Funny, I am already respecting this man – I've not even heard him talk yet and I feel this way about him… _

"Boy, what d'ya want? I aint got al' day, y'know." The old man's rough voice easily cut through his thoughts, stabbing him back to reality. Whilst he would feel angry at anyone else talking to him with unreasonable anger, it just didn't feel right to take that sort of tone with someone like him. The man noticed his silent analysis, hobbling into one of the nearby buildings. Non-descript, boring, plain: it screamed out against the world almost, like it wasn't right for a man such as him. Following the old man, he stared curiously at his back, following behind like a puppy trailing after his master. Watching as he twisted the door handle, he stepped through the threshold, beckoning him to follow. Pausing on whether or not to enter the still unknown man's presumed house. His curiosity demanded him to enter, so he had to do it, lest he suffer the consequences of what could have been. Entering, he couldn't help but stare at what was inside.

It wasn't a house, it was a shop. A shop that looked more like a walking armada – guns littered the walls, whilst countless katanas lined the wall as if they were common, everyday items. An assortment of weapons, some he had never even seen before, and some that he thought couldn't possibly exist (like a decidedly dangerous looking hula hoop that looked like it could tear through skin like paper). Following the old man to his counter, which he sat behind, awaiting Alex to take a seat in front of him. Taking the offered seat, he faced the man, who had a smirk reminiscent to the demon brat. On edge, he tried to sort through the questions in his mind, placing the most important three in the forefront off his mind.

"Why, exactly, do you have enough weapons to supply the world over with?" He had to ask, curiosity painted on his face. The old man twitched, not expecting that to be the first question to come out of his mouth.

"It's a shop. A weapons shop. Whaddya' expect there ta' be? Ponies?" He chortled, amusement flickering on to his grizzled face. Blushing, he stammered out that it isn't exactly common to find a weapon shop down the street. Conceding on that front (leaving Alex proud of his achievement); he let him have his silent victory before asking a question of his own.

"Who do you work for?" He started, leaning right into his face.

"Pardon?" Alex could do little more than stare in confusion at the snarling man who was invading his personal space.

"Which family do you work for?" He repeated, elaborating on his previous question. Eyes lighting up in understanding, he answered, truthful to the old man.

"None, at the moment." The man's eyebrows slid up in confusion, before narrowing towards the end of it.

"Whaddya' mean 'at the moment'. You either do or ya' don't" He growled out, hoping to intimidate an answer out of the difficult boy.

"I'm thinking about joining Vongola." The man choked at that.

"You, work in Vongola? Bullshit."

"True though. I'll even phone Reborn if I must."

"Ya got 'is numbah?"

"Obviously."

"I believe ya." He backed down, re-evaluating the individual in front of him. He didn't look like he had what it takes to be a part of the mafia, but when it comes down to it whoever does? Whilst staring, an idea crept up to the forefront of his mind, and wouldn't leave him alone. Just doing it, he stared into the still scanning boy's eyes, and asked him an all too important question.

"Kid, ya' have a weapon?" He asked, prepared to give him one if he needed. The boy in question jumped, startled by the question, and looking more like a fluffy rabbit than human being.

"Umm, no…" Alex said, confused as to where he was going with this. All the man could do was sigh, before reaching a haggard hand under the counter. Items started to pile up as he placed more and more items on the table, much to the awe of Alex. The stream of items ended soon enough, as that tired hand lifted up a small shield and short sword. And finally, it all clicked in his head.

He was being given a weapon.

Smiling broadly at the man, he tipped the weapon care-book into the bag on his side, alongside the books on the many styles the weapon could have. Packaging away the equipment, he turned to the very last pair of items. The blade itself was short, only reaching thirty centimetres in length, but whilst short was extremely deadly. The blade edges curved inwards, flaring out at the tip in a painful 'v' shape, looking reminiscent of an arrow head. The shield held an insignia emblazoned on the centre of it that looked like a stylish 'V'. The rim was silver, whilst the rest was a deep blue, contrasting beautifully in its' simplicity. Reaching out to grab the sword's light blue handle, he was stopped by his benefactor before he could touch it.

"We need to see if you can wield the blade first." He said, answering the unsaid question on his face. Staring at the sword momentarily, he reached into a box that Alex had yet to see. Curious to see what was inside, he leaned over the counter, only to get assaulted by the man's ring. Wincing at the pain, he collapsed backwards, ready to give him a piece of his mind. Only to stop when the old man smiled a somewhat bittersweet smile, and gave the blade to him.

"How do you know if I can wield it?" He asked, wary of taking the blade unless it turned around and bit him.

"You're dying will fits it." The old man said, cryptic in his response to the young man. Forcing the red-head's hands around the hilt, he left them there as he removed his own. "The blade is yours now. Take good care of it."

"I still don't understand why you are giving this to me…" he said, bewildered to the very end. The old man just chuckled at the face he was pulling and forced him up, urging him out of his shop. Before he was out of the boundary, he gave one last parting message to the red-head.

"You don't need to understand, just take it. My name is Alexander, and just carry on going down that road to get to the area you live in. Now go before this area becomes infested with danger."

With those parting words, he locked the door, leaving the bewildered child in the middle of the street with a sword and shield on hand.

_Well, this wasn't what I was expecting when I talked to that old man…_

* * *

_**Dear Sexy,**_

_**Date: 30/04/13 Objectives: I don't even know.**_

_**Wow. Today was a thing. I don't even know what to say.**_

_**So it started out like any ordinary day: getting up, cook something, bitch at Reborn and gossip with Nana like the BFFs we are. But then it got strange, and it was all because of one awful piece of paper saying we had today off. At first I was happy about it, and then I remembered that I and Ryohei had agreed to meet up at the school gates.**_

_**And this is where the world goes crazy. And by crazy I mean bat-shit insane. You would have to be there to of seen it Sexy, but you are not actually real so you wouldn't of enjoyed it.**_

_**Too bad. It was lol worthy.**_

_**I had this massive adventure around Namimori looking for Ryohei. I saved the kid from the other day, who is called Natsu Mitsurugi, and is a part of some insidious plot with the disciplinary committee; if that boy actually was right in saying they were using him as a message. But who were they trying to give a message too, and why they are even doing it in the first place is beyond me. Something strange is going on here, and I intend to find out what it is.**_

_**After saving the boy, I escorted him to his school, and got called a 'pretty and responsible sister' and a 'good mother'. If this is the effect my hair has on the outside world, I am seriously going to get it cut.**_

_**Actually, on second thought, I won't – I like my long hair just as it is.**_

_**Anyway, after that I resumed my hunt for Ryohei, which led me to the abandoned area of Namimori. Considering I was lost, I did the smart thing and ran around hoping for the best. It always works, you don't know.**_

_**But this led me to the strange old man Alexander, who looked like he has seen hundreds of wars in his long life. I can only respect him for his fortitude.**_

_**And squee at the fact that he gave me an amazing sword, which I used to cut bread (to test it, obviously), and a shield, which I smacked a fly in the face with it. Along with a tonne of other equipment to use with it.**_

_**He said something about only people with a matching 'dying will' could use it… What did he mean by that?**_

_**Anyway, I can't stick around for much longer, need to sleep early for tomorrow to walk with Ryohei.**_

_**Oh yeah, guess where Ryohei was. He was at the gym, having completely forgotten about meeting up at school, and about school in general. When Kyoko phoned up to tell me, I didn't just face-palm, I face-desked.**_

_**Welp, it's time for me to go, ciao for now~**_

_**Signing out, Alex (WHAT-I-DON'T-EVEN-OHHH-STABBY-SWORD~) Ivy.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 7, Fin~**_

_**Wao. This chapter was a thing. I literally don't even know lol. That's how confused I am right now. Anyway, stuff happens, Alex meets N-chan, meets Alexander (who'll be important later. I think.) and encounters an insidious plot involving children. So with his new sword, he's going to stabby-do everyone, right. Maybe. He still needs to actually train up his physical strength so he doesn't get tired from it all. Maybe Reborn has a solution. Possibly~ I'm sad that Ryohei wasn't in this chapter much, but it had to be done for the sake of plot. I wanted to write more for the conversation with Alexander but I was already writing too much, and if I wanted to get this out for today then I needed to slow it down. There was going to be a little bit at the end involving Reborn's explosive study methods, but I didn't have time to fit it in.**_

_**Oh yeah, guess what type of flames Alex have and I'll write a one-shot of your preferred pairing. The first to get it right wins~ Good luck~**_

_**Anyway, onto the important part of this little note, the review table, where we have some new-comers 3**_

_**Akatsuki's Neko Stalker: Thanks for reviewing~. Lol I know right, Male!OCs are hard to come by, but I love them when I find them lol. I don't suppose you heard of Glasses and Spectacles 'Monochromatic Shades to Color', which is a male OC and Hibari story. Which I read a lot. Check it out if you haven't already, because it is a very good story and was my inspiration/push for this story. I'm totally glad that you are enjoying the story lol, and are hooked on it, cause I enjoy it when other's like my story. It's like a pat on the back when people say it, if you get what I mean. I try and update every two days, and if I have to spend extra on it I will leave a note on the previous chapter saying why, like if it's to do with college or if I am going on holiday, things like that. Anyway, I am glad that you enjoyed it, and I hope you come again. So until next chapter~**_

_**Mirthful-Malady: HELLO~ Lol happy to see ya, I completely know what you mean about seeing so many het pairings with ocs involved, only one other comes to mind when I think of shounen-ai and I talk way too much about it to be legal xD. You love me 3, Omg it's totally Canon lol. And yup, there is way too many female Ocs, and far too few males, but there are some really good female OCs out there, though there are some that aren't so good. lol I am completely happy that you like Alex, I was afraid that he wouldn't be likable or too perfect or whatever. He is totally fun, and very easy to anger, making it fun to put him in the vicinity of Reborn or Hibari, as they get along like water and oil - as shown by this chapter lol and the first meeting with Hibari, who was going to make an appearance but was shafted for the anonymous thug, as Alex can't exactly take down Hibari lol, and probably never will be able to. Anyway, I'm getting off track, so thank you for reviewing and I hope you continue reading the story~**_

_**phoenixfyre2552: Yo~. Glad to see ya review :D. I'm glad to see that you find the story interesting, and that you don't just like it. It says that you are actually interested in the plot and the characters, which is a very good thing to see. Ryohei and Alex are good together, mostly because Alex actually sticks around and talks to him whilst everyone else on the series just tend to avoid him like the plague, which makes me sad. The relationship will be a slowly built one, as the best relationships are always between best friends, so they are going to go through a lot together before actually becoming a couple, but there will be occasional skips lol so that they don't just stay friends. I'm surprised that no-one has commented on the fact that neither of the two use honorifics when referring to the other :D. Alex and Ryohei both use them on other people, but not each other. Just some food for thought~ Alex and strength will be a thing sooner or later, but it will be a up-hill battle as he is weak at the moment. Fast, but weak. He has a weapon now though, so he gets a boost just from that lol. And it will certainly be fun seeing him in action with it~. Alex and Gokudera... Are always going to be fighting, the first impression for Alex was too big for them to become super-friends, but I'm sure they can become decent enough friends in the end. Everyone feels sorry for Alex, even Alex does, but you can't exactly fight genetics lol. Anyway, I need to sleep, so I'm drawing this to an end. It's 2:15 in the morning here lol. Hopefully I'll see you review again on the next chapter, so until then thanks for reviewing, and I hope you continue reading this story :D.**_

_**Woo, and that is a wrap :D. Thanks to everyone that reviewed the previous chapter, I hope that you'll do so again on this chapter, along with the people who didn't. So thank you everyone that reviewed/favourite/followed/stalked/read/enjoyed the story, and I hope you are happy with this chapter :D.**_

_**So until next chapter, Ciao Ciao~ **_


	8. Chapter 8

_So...How exactly DO I go about doing this?_

The book didn't reply, staying silent even when Alex's gaze turned supernova, trying to erase the over-complicated book from existence. His anger at the book bled into all other physical activities, his gait becoming a lot jerkier rapidly, causing his boots to smack into the ground loud enough to become audible. In his, personal, opinion: he deemed the book way too convoluted for its own good, and vowed to launch it at that old man's face. He may respect him and the fact that he has had to go through so much in his long life, but you don't just throw an entire book that looked as if it was for people who were training others, not themselves. You just don't give them a book and expect them too instantly know everything about wielding a blade. With mutinous intent, he glared at the offending book, turning to the last page of the damnable piece of literature, pausing when a sheet of paper flittered to the floor.

Curiously, he leant down to grab hold of the interesting little sheet, gripping it by the edges before the wind dragged it off to who-knows-where, flipping it round when noticing one side was blank. This side was much the same - or it would be if it wasn't for the two chains of numbers at the top. Noting his tendency to lose unfamiliar documents, he flipped open his phone, tapping a relentless stream of numbers into the device. Saving them in a draft, he folded the sheet of paper back into the book, slotting it into its little niche; he vowed to find out just what they were, and if he needed them. With him getting absolutely nowhere with the book, he dropped it back into his bag, making sure that it was completely hidden from view if any passer-by were a little too nosy for their own good. Slinging the bag back around his shoulders, he passed by the all too familiar park, making his way to the Sasagawa residence directly.

Not taking any risks when Ryohei's terrible memory was involved, he quickened his pace, eager to get there before Ryohei actually forgetting about him going there became a reality. Jumping past Sakura Street, his gait turned into a relatively easy one, stopping briefly outside the entrance of Taiyo Street to regain his bearings and to whip out a brush for his hair. Brushing his hair like a professional, he made his to the entrance of his friend's house, walking down the pathway to knock on the door. When the door opened, he walked straight into the house, not even waiting for the person at the door to acknowledge him. Kyoko sighed, staring at him piercingly for daring to ignore her presence, before deciding it wasn't worth it when she was ignored in favour of a brush. Seeing as he still didn't notice her, she just sat next to the 'busy' ginger, waiting for him to realise that he wasn't on his own in the house.

It didn't take long for him to notice, but the reaction she was hoping for was not forth-coming. Putting the brush down, he tilted his head, as if trying to place why exactly she was sitting so close to him. His face blanked out for a moment, before a mischievous smirk graced his face as he stared at her in a new light. A sudden feeling of dread pooled in her stomach, that made her regret sitting so close to him to try and scare him. A feeling that only became more prominent and aggressive when he languidly stretched, arching his body out like a cat that just got the canary. With the sudden feeling that she was said canary and she was about to be eaten by the big bad cat, she shuffled away to relative safety, which wasn't far considering how much space he was currently using up. Blearily opening one tired eye, he peered out at her with ample scrutiny, deciding that after she had felt the tension for a bit he could make his move.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Ryohei, who heard this outrageous statement from his spot on the upstairs landing, tripped, falling down the stairs in such a ridiculous manner that it would make even 'Dame-Tsuna' jealous, before lying at the foot of the stairs in a shocked heap. Kyoko couldn't even speak, she was that confused, and could only stare at him in a way that spoke volumes of her self-control. With faux-innocence, he left his resting position on the couch, before leaving the room with his trusty bag slung over one shoulder, heading for the still shocked Ryohei. Grabbing his hand, he let Ryohei use him as a balance as he dragged himself up off the floor. Throwing Ryohei's shoes at him, he watched the still shell-shocked teen recover, and become his usual self. Glad that he wouldn't have to drag around a shocked Ryohei all day, he waited for him to get his shoes on and start their customary 'EXTREME!' greeting, he allowed himself to be dragged out of the house, managing to get out a 'Goodbye Kyoko' before disappearing off into the horizon.

"Ryohei… Any particular reason why you are dragging me to school early? When, y'know, I got to yours early to make you something to eat, when I really shouldn't considering what you put me through yesterday." Alex growled out loud enough to reach the running boxer over the forceful winds. Feeling a sense of 'De Ja Vu', he predicted that he would stop sometime soon and apologise, like he did the first time this sort of thing happened. Feeling him not stopping anytime soon, he reiterated his question, hoping to get an actual answer out of the destructive blur. Actually responding this time instead of just ignoring it like last time, Ryohei twisted his body around facing Alex and not the path in front of him.

"It's….very…..EXTREME(!)...training…carrying…you…. around." The panting Boxer managed to force out, before turning back to actually check where he was going. Allowing him to get back to training, Alex kept silent, so that he can actually focus on dragging him around. It, surprisingly enough, made sense to let him do this. It was training both his strength and speed, as he had to literally drag a heavy weight around whilst simultaneously training his speed by running. Staring absentmindedly at the surroundings, he took note of the fact that they were taking the long path to the school. This path led them round to the shopping centre, then to the housing district, the shady sector that he got lost in and then back around to the housing district. Incredibly convoluted, but Ryohei loved it, and took it often to boost his skills. Dashing through the shops, he didn't have to look out for shoppers, who parted clean through the centre, obviously used to the diligent boxer's training regimen.

Passing through the first burst of houses, he watched in surprise, spotting Alexander, the mercurial owner of the weapon shop, doing some gardening on a small garden nearby. Waving at him, he only got a piercing glare in response and a rude hand gesture for his hard work – how rude, Alex would like to see him try and wave his hand in blistering winds, and see how taxing it is. Pouting at the injustice of it all, he didn't try to greet anyone else that he had seen before, not even being able to do anything when they passed by the friendly cashier woman Sakuya. However, he was able to shout out a greeting to Natsu, who was walking down the street with a tall, formidable looking man. Not being able to see anything passed the suit, he couldn't really tell what he looked he like, much to his chagrin. Disappointed, but not overtly so, he passed by the Sawada residence just as Tsuna was dashing out of the house, obviously being late leaving for school. Passing by un-noticed, they carried in their way, Ryohei chanting something under his breath, as Alex was praying to whatever deity was listening at this moment that it would end soon.

Feeling Ryohei start to slow down, as his feet were actually able to touch the ground, he took in just where they were. Staring at the open gates of the school, there was complete silence, as there was literally no one there. Taking a step forward, he walked through the gates, noticing that even in the gardens there wasn't a soul. Turning to Ryohei, who was surprisingly nonchalant about the entire lack of any life in the area, he continued on his way through the door. Sighing at his attitude, but glad to be around someone who was so cheerful, he followed behind the exuberant boxer as he has done so many times before, completely unaware of the malevolent presence lurking in the area. Like a panther stalking his pray, he crept forward, ready to take down his prey with frightening efficiency. Glaring at the oblivious duo, who were laughing together, he decided to make his presence known to the (in his eyes) unsightly pair.

"Classes have started, you are late." Hibari Kyoya, resident carnivore of Namimori and one of the primary enemies of Alex, stated with a glare that could make the bravest men cry. Startled, Alex twisted around, grasping his bag tightly as his hand made his way inside it. Ryohei turned, not at all happy with being interrupted by the disciplinary committee leader, and frowned sternly at the 'carnivore'. An ominous silence perpetuated the area, foretelling a confrontation, whilst a silent breeze made its way through, brushing the faces of the three like a mother to her child, before disappearing from the world. With his hand firmly around his weapon of choice, just in case things went south, Alex was the first of the three to break the oppressive silence. Putting distance between him and the prefect's 'fangs', he acted unimpressed even if he himself was feeling scared.

"Whilst this is a pleasant surprise to have you in my company, I'd much prefer it if you crawled back to whatever hell-hole you originated from, and stay there until I can be bothered to come see you. Which would be never. And anyway, why exactly are you out here? I thought that vampires weren't allowed I the sunlight – _or else they would burn into ash."_ He lectured, putting more emphasis onto the final words than anything else. Flicking his hair, he waited for a moment, noticing the fact that Hibari didn't know whether or not to applaud the audacious teen or bite him to death, before turning back around to enter the school. Sometime during his speech, it seemed Ryohei had entered the school, most likely heading toward his home-room before the teacher got there. Making his way to the main entrance, it seemed that Hibari had finally made up his mind, and smirked in amusement at the retreating boy's back, voicing out a 'Wao' in surprise. Annoyed at the fact that he was being taunted by _Hibari_, he whirled back around to face the smirking teen with the urge to stab him in the face with the Xiphos he had in his bag.

"What do you find so amusing?" He couldn't help but ask, snarl all but ready to erupt from his throat, attempting to shatter the aggravating teen into tiny shards. Sadly, his glare did everything but what he wanted it to, and only made the aggressive teen's amusement rise even more than before. The sun shone down, reflecting brightly off of the prefects dangerous steel tonfas, as it blinded the scarlet haired teen's eyes. Growling out loud this time, he could do little but cover his eyes, and feel the urge to smack him in the face with that brush he brought along. And then maybe use it on that unruly mop of hair. Dropping his bag to the floor, he leant over, shuffling through it before pulling out his prey. Hibari's eyebrows rose at the sight of the glinting blade, as he donned the sword and shield slowly but surely, before he felt his amusement plummet, swiftly turning into pure rage at the sight of the weapon.

"Herbivore… Carrying weapons is in direct violation of the Namimori-Middle rulebook. Under punishment guidelines, I must bite you to death for disturbing the peace." Hibari rattled off, scowling at the wary Brit, who was thinking about commenting on the hypocrisy of that sentence, before pouncing with impressive speed. It took all of Alex's hard-earned speed to block the first tonfa with his shield, before he buckled at the force of the hit. Scowling at his sub-par body strength, he twirled to the left, forcing the tonfa on his shield to direct the carnivore. Stabbing his short blade forward in an attempt to deal damage, it was negated as the elder teen used his spare tonfa to block the hit. Regaining his balance, Hibari swung his tonfa in a wide arc, aiming to hit him in the side of the gut. Trying to move his shield to block the hit proved futile, he was just too slow on the drawer to reach in time, causing him to sustain a direct low from the devastating weapon. Sliding from the blow, he gingerly felt the area where he was hit, wincing at the pain that came from the touch.

Leaning on a tree for support, he panted out from the exertion, trying to rest his shield arm (and dominant arm) from the assault. Hibari was a monster on the battlefield, and even in this small bout between the two he could see that. Recovered enough to actually fight again, he raised his arms back up, positioning the shield in front and his blade behind. Dashing forward, the russet warrior through a flurry of slashes with his blade, aiming to hinder him in some way. However, it proved to be all for naught, as Hibari was casually manoeuvring his way around the blade as if he was dancing. Twirling around, he traded his blade for his shield, hoping to clip him with the business end of his shield. Not expecting the move, Hibari had to use his tonfas to block the blow, leaving him open to a powerful kick to the face. But, considering that it was Hibari he was fighting, and not just any ordinary person, he ducked, leaving Alex off balanced as both his boot and his shield were left awkwardly in the end.

Bored with the pitiful battle, Hibari swung his tonfa at the unbalanced teen, smacking him harshly on the head. Dazed, but not fully unconscious, Alex could only watch in dismay as the second tonfa arrived to finish the job of the first. Annoyed, but accepting of the fact that he lost, and horrifically so, all he had the option of doing was waiting for the baton to make its mark.

_Hibari, I hope you choke on your own – _sadly he was unable to finish off his thought, as he was smacked around the face, falling into unconsciousness as his weapons clattered to the floor. Looking at the unconscious face of his foe, Hibari turned away, making sure to remember that face when he was bored and needed someone to maul.

Oh, sorry, 'discipline'.

* * *

"Well, that was a weird dream. I thought for a second there that I actually fought Hibari. And lost. Why exactly would I do that…?" Alex trailed off, actually taking a decent look at his surroundings for a minute, and realising that it was not a dream at all, and that he did get his ass kicked by Hibari. Scanning the room he found himself in, he took into account the blinding white walls and blue tiling, noting that he was in the schools medical room. The walls, a stark white, were all too much like a hospital, unnerving him immensely as he tried to put it out of his mind. The bed he was laying on was uncomfortable at best, feeling more like a flat board than one of the greatest inventions known to man. Feeling around his head, his hand came into contact with a bandage that looked remarkably like a bandana. Noticing that no one else was in the room at the moment, he quietly threw off the bed covers, getting out of it and searching for his bag. Finding it underneath the bed, he sighed in relief, finding that everything was in there, including his sword and shield. Curious as to who managed to find him and bring him here, along with who was able to actually pick up the pair, he decided to not question it and look a gift horse in the mouth.

Slinging his bag around his shoulder, he took note of what time it was, and seeing as it was nearly lunch time, he began to make the trek to hunt down Tsunayoshi Sawada and have a little chat with him, seeing as they haven't really talked much in a while. Plan set up in his mind, he made his way over to class 1-A, before classes ended. Scaling the stairs two at a time., he made his way up to the first floor, and to the door marked '1-A'. Waiting outside for the bell to ring, he contemplated on whether or not it would be worth it to start a journal entry, but considering the fact that the only interesting thing to happen so far was for him to lose to the ferocious prefect, he decided against it. It wouldn't do for him to leave a negative entry for so long in the journal, lest he opens it later and not want to continue it.

Hearing the bell ring, he got up so that he wouldn't be trampled by the inevitable hoard of children, and waited patiently by the front entrance as they all sped past him. Spotting a lull in the brigade of hungry children, he stepped through the doorway, waving to Kyoko as she passed by him and as a result oblivious to the wink Mrs. Heartoak gave him as she soon followed. Walking towards the three teens, who only now were making their move when there was no-one else in the same room, he was spotted by Tsuna first, who smiled in relief at his approach. Greeting Tsuna and Yamamoto cheerfully, he chose to ignore Gokudera in favour of starting up a conversation with the two teens, leaving Gokudera absolutely fuming – to the point that Alex swore he was fuming. With sadistic glee, he chose to once again ignore the silver haired bomber, vengeful after their first meeting.

"Tsuna-kun~ where exactly are we going to eat lunch today? I cannot stay for long though; need to drop off Ryohei's bento. If I don't feed the guy he certainly won't feed himself." Alex sighed, dragging the stunned teen out of the room, heading for the staircase, as he was followed by both the now laughing sportsman and irate bomber. Tsuna managed to wrangle his way out of the vice like grip, causing Alex to stop for a moment and turn back around to face him. He was staring at him like he had committed some grievous sin, which all he could do was shake his head, confused as to why he was being stared at like that. Tsuna, staring at the ginger as if he wasn't real, told him that he had 'forgotten' someone. Said someone came blitzing up the stairs, armed to the brim with bombs. And snarling like a feral animal.

"Gokudera-thief. You came. How nice of you to show up. But now that you're here, you can go back to whatever hole you came from. And whilst you're at it, please return the dead octopus that you murdered in cold blood to the aquarium, so they can have a funeral for it. This has been a public service announcement from your resident ginger, have a nice day." He rattled off, having to take a deep breath to get the full insult out, before ducking a stick of dynamite that was launched at his head from the raving mad silverette. Seeing another one coming, he pulled out his shield (ignoring the fact that both Tsuna and Yamamoto were both here), and slapped the next one back at him, who deflected it back, soon causing it to degenerate into some form of a twisted tennis match, neither side relenting as the dynamite burnt ever slowly to its demise. It followed this pattern until he couldn't risk it anymore, and backhanded the dangerous stick out of a conveniently open window. Not taking the time to wonder what would happen if that window wasn't open he quickly turned back to Gokudera, with the intent on finishing the argument.

"Freak, get a haircut, your hair is so greasy you look as if you work in a chippy. Actually you probably do, no-one else would take you would they because they were afraid that the grease will infect them with something. You make Severus Snape jealous!" Gokudera attacked, throwing a verbal volley at the angry teen, intent on getting him to go away. Alex just raised an eyebrow, eyes filling with frozen anger as he insulted his hair, and his favourite type of restaurant. Glaring with discontent at the juvenile hit-man, he looked ready to maim him where he stands, before getting a better idea and just beating him down with angry words Giving as good as they got, he needed to meet with Ryohei before it got too late. Deciding to finish it in a way that would make every sassy man and woman on the planet proud, he waltzed back down the stairs passing him by, giving him the illusion that he has won.

"Gokudera, I'm sorry it has to come down to this, but I don't think you are pretty. In fact, you're Naito Longchamp's definition of 'perfect'. If you want, I could set you up with him, but then I would have to imagine you in a relationship, which is something that I doubt will ever happen. I'm sorry but, when you grow up, you're going to be a lonely cat-man, who lives with her hundreds of cats because they are the only things in the world that would be able to stand your aggravating presence. Anyway, I need to go now; I do have a life after all~ Ciao Tsuna-kun, Yamamoto-kun. Good Luck with baseball." He shouted behind him, laughing at Gokudera's livid face, and waving at the two whom he liked. He didn't know if they waved back, but he is going to assume that they did.

It may have been a bit harsh, but if he wanted him to act like an absolute menace, then he will be. That first meeting decided a lot between the two, and after Gokudera was so rude first, pretty much insinuating that he would never like him and that they will always be enemies, then he will fit his expectations then. It wasn't as if he was afraid of the bomber, or particularly hated him, it was just that they would never be able to be friends for as long as Gokudera doesn't like him. He may not be able to be friends with him, but Alex was sure that they would mellow out soon and wouldn't be at each-other's throats, even if Alex was the person who instigated it. That and it was so much fun to tease Gokudera, so much so that he personally believed Gokudera actually liked the arguments they get in, even if Gokudera ends up turning into a raging fluff ball at the end of it.

Waltzing into his doma– oh sorry, boxing club, Alex made his way over to the heavily panting boxer who was beating down a heavy sand-bag like it was going out of style, pulling out a brush and smacking it down lightly on the back of the busy boxer's head, grabbing his attention even if it was for a moment. Before he could take it as a declaration of war, Alex lifted the yellow bento high into the air, dangling it in front of the tired boxer's face. Seeing the smile light up his face, Alex smiled back at him, as he was dragged to the nearby bench that sat hugging the wall. Sitting down, he opened his own bento, not even bothering to check if Ryohei liked it, considering the fact that Ryohei would eat it as long as it was food. They sat in companionable silence whilst they ate, Ryohei finishing long before he was half-way done. Spotting his hungry gaze, he handed the rest of the bento he had to Ryohei, pre-empting his question and his gratitude. Soon he finished off what remained of the bento, leaning on the wall with his eyes closed.

"Alex… Is it bad that we are the only friends the other has" Ryohei asked the perplexed boy, eyes closed as if in hiding from the world. Alex stared, perplexed at the question, before actually thinking about what he means when he said 'bad'. Not really knowing what to say at the moment, even if it was against his verbose nature, he just stayed silent, trying to put his true feelings into words. But how to make it not just a few words? It is all well and good just saying how he thinks, but how do you make him believe it, when all they really are just a bunch of flower-y words that don't truly mean anything. Spotting Ryohei's feeling plummeting; he had to think fast before he becomes truly dejected, which is not a sight Alex ever wanted to see. So he just followed his instincts, and did what he thought would make him better.

He embraced him.

"You know, we are all we need. You'll become a famous boxer and I'll be a famous agent, we can remind each other of this, and use the other to help us succeed. We are all the other needs for now, and if more come then they will come. We cannot force others to like us, and we don't need too, so let's just be glad that we have the other, no. You with me on that, hmm?" Moving his head away from its rest on his arm, he stared up at the startled boxer, who had a light blush on his face at the close quarters. After waiting for a few more moments, just so that the boxer can calm down and realise that it isn't a bad thing, before standing up and stretching like a cat. Turning around to face him, he reached for his bag once more, pulling out his brand new sword and shield.

"Why don't we test this out, hmm?" Alex said, softly smiling at Ryohei.

That smile increased a hundred-fold when Ryohei smiled back.

* * *

"What are you smoking and where can I get some?" Alex stared at the younger adolescent, utterly confused about why the first year was talking to him, a second year. The young man, who was plain looking, just stared back at the older one with a sheepish expression on his face, as he was stared down into the ground. The young man wore a student council uniform, and was currently why he had been dragged out of one of his Analysis lessons – which Mrs Heartoak was not amused with at all. Apparently, and this was if he was to be believed, they had decided that an older student help out the home economics teacher with her class, as there was just too much for the young woman too handle. Ms Konohana was a recent addition to the school, and Mrs Heartoak had taken her under her wing – as an elder teacher for a new teacher.

"So I, out of everyone in the school, have been chosen to help out the home economics teacher, who is also new, as opposed to an elder student or an actual teacher." He recited, mentally checking to see if he was dreaming up some crazy dream. The child just nodded, not really knowing what to say, as the illogicality of the student council made itself present. Sighing at the surrealism, he made his way back inside to grab his bag and wake up a happy Ryohei, who wasn't so happy to find out that he would have to stay awake through the final period of the day. After promising that he would make him something whilst he was there, and if he had any preferences with chocolate, before grabbing his stuff and leaving the classroom, waving goodbye to the reluctant Mrs Heartoak, who responded in kind.

Following the relieved student back to wherever he was sent, he led her to the home economics room, where the girls from the '1' series of classrooms were getting started on their chocolates. Making his way over to Ms Konohana, he passed her the note, watching as her tired face warped into a joyous one. Coughing loudly, the young teacher alerted the whole group, making them turn to the person who will be helping out as a teacher's assistant whilst she divided the class into two separate groups – one for herself, and the other for Alex to handle. After sorting out the groups, she fluttered off to hers, wishing him good luck with them as she started to teach them how to make chocolates. Making his way over to the group, he noticed that he had Kyoko in his group, who waved to him as he approached, and that she was surrounded by the rest of the girls in her class. Setting up the ingredients from memory, he made sure that they were all listening, before starting the lengthy speech.

"Hello Kyoko-chan~ and with that out of the way, now we can begin our lesson." He stated cheerfully, greeting the idol cheerfully, "First off, who knows anything about making chocolates, and introduce yourselves?" Seeing only four girls raise their hand to his question, including Kyoko-chan, so he only had three names to learn. The three girls who lifted their hands were 'Sakura Ai', 'Yuki Mitobe' and 'Setsuna Setsuka', and after the last one said her name, started to focus on her with ample scrutiny. She was small – taller than him, but still small, with long black hair and hazel eyes. Pretty, but not overtly so, and apparently in 'love' with Yamamoto Takeshi, which he had yet to see on the report that he was given by the teacher.

"You four are better off doing it your own way then – if I teach you my method, then it's going to conflict with whatever you know. I'll supervise you momentarily, I'll get the rest of the girls started on how to do it, as we do not have all the time in the world to get these done." Dismissing the girls who knew how to do it, he got to work showing them how you make chocolates. Taking twenty minutes to explain the process, he left them with three condensed points, watching them get to work on their heavenly creations. Twisting dials, coaching the girls, helping out the ones who needed a little help on it – he enjoyed doing it. It made him briefly reflect on what he wanted to do in life. It made him wonder if he really wanted to be an agent or a teacher instead. Maybe he could be both? If worse comes to worst, he could abandon the idea of being an agent and be a teacher. Time flew by, until it was the moment they had all been waiting for – the boys were done with whatever they do during their lesson.

Standing guard with all the girl's back-up chocolate around him, he watched them like a hawk, before feeling a curious gaze on his back. Turning to meet who-ever was staring at him; he turned back around, eyes meeting with Yamamoto's. Giving the tall baseball star a quick wave, he was soon distracted by the chocolates, keeping guard so that no intruder could tamper with his students' hard work. However, whilst resuming his silent vigil on the chocolates, he did manage to hear the loud 'Reborn' – the trademark scream of one 'Dying Will Mode' Tsuna. Twisting back around to stare at the horrific sight of a half-naked Tsuna munching on all the chocolates, he didn't know whether to be proud that Tsuna was going for what he wants, or go absolutely berserk at the sheer audacity of his actions. Seeing this surreal event, he couldn't move, too stunned to do anything at all about, until Tsuna had ate all of the chocolates in the nearby vicinity.

"He… He ate them all…" Bianchi muttered to herself, as shocked as the rest of them, before dashing off down the hallway in search of something. Alex sighed, realising Tsuna was in 'Dying Will' form, so he had no control of his actions – meaning it was the demonic brat's fault. Vowing to get him later, Alex strolled forward, pushing the tray filled with all the spare chocolates towards the devastated girls. Stopping in front of them with the tray, he pushed it towards them, collecting his own batch that he made for Ryohei and heading off on his own, towards his own classroom and Ryohei. Ignoring the thanks, he escaped down the hallway, just missing an armed Bianchi throw a poisonous cake in the adult Lambo's face – a sight that he would of very much loved to see, as who doesn't love someone being head-shot'd by a cake. Even if said cake had the potential to send you to heaven instantly.

Entering the classroom with his bounty he made his way over to his seat, waiting for Ryohei to wake up from his nap and realise that he was indeed in the same room as him.

_The things that I do for Ryohei… He better love this chocolate like it's a bloody lover or something!_

* * *

_**Dear Sexy (I got my butt kicked. It was the single most depressing thing since Dobby's death.)**_

_**Date: 01/05/13 Objective: Sword to the face and bonding time. Success on both accounts**_

_**Granted I got slapped in the face by Hibari's 'fangs, as I'm certain that is what he thinks they are. I mean, he pretty much always says 'I'll bite you to death' before smacking you with them. If I didn't know better I would think him delusional. But no, he isn't, he's just psychotic.**_

_**Psychotic and sexy, but that is an entirely different point and I want the future generations to think that my arch-nemesis was ugly, and not sexy.**_

_**But that isn't helpful for anyone involved here, is it?**_

_**Anyway, let's get back on track before I start bitching about everything. Okay, is it just me, or is Mrs Heartoak suspicious? I mean, she has been doing some dodgy stare thing at me all day when she thinks I am not looking, and she even winked at me once. I don't know what is going on, but the Mrs Heartoak I know wouldn't act like that. Stern in a friendly way, yes. But creepy stares are not what she acts like normally, and I'm starting to think she knows something that I don't.**_

_**Seriously, it's getting on my nerves. It's like the longer I stay in Namimori the more things are coming up. Mrs Heartoak is acting suspicious, poor Mitsurugi is stuck in an elaborate plot led by the disciplinary committee leader, and I'm certain even Nana was off today. She didn't do anything out-right, but… I'm worried about her. Very much so.**_

_**Totes.**_

_**Anyway, on to less strange things, and back onto completely surreal. I was dragged out of my class to help the Home Economics teacher sort out her class. Yea, Sexy, I pulled a 'WTF' face and asked about whatever they were smoking. So I was forced to do it, even if it was fun, and met Setsuna briefly. She was everything that I expected, by the way.**_

_**So we all made chocolates (I gave mine to Ryohei, who ate them all, the pig :D)**_

_**Then Tsuna ate them all. I was half-tempted to pull out my shield and slap him with it, but thought against it when it came to light that Reborn shot him with the DWM bullet, forcing him to eat it all. Luckily for them I forced them to make spares, so everyone got chocolate in the end.**_

_**So happy ending, pretty much. And it got even happier when I came home to the sight of a messed up Gokudera, who seems to have a weakness for Bianchi, our new resident and a poison master. And it led me to get my revenge on Reborn for that stunt he pulled. Want to know how I did it? **_

_**Well yea, you're owned by me – you always want to know,**_

_**Well I just told Bianchi that Reborn wanted her to bear his children.**_

_**It was glorious. It ended up with a mortified Tsuna, pissed Bianchi and a bewildered Reborn. I was so proud of myself for that one, I was :D.**_

_**Well, I need to go now, I need to help Ryohei train for a competition early tomorrow, so…**_

_**Ciao :D**_

_**Signing out, Alex (CHOCOLATE-SWORD-FIGHT-OF-BONDING-NOT-BONDAGE-O.O- I'M-GONNA-PUT-THE-PEN-DOWN-NOW-K-THANX-BAI) Ivy~**_

* * *

Putting down the pen to move to the bed, he stumbled up, walking towards the amazing creation like a man with a mission. Just about to get under the covers and succumb to his mounting fatigue, he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

_It's almost Twelve, who on Earth would be visiting me at this time? _He thought to himself, before opening the door, ready to give them hell for it. Only to stand their gaping in the doorway as he realised just who it was.

"N-Nana, what are you doing here?" He stood, staring at the uncharacteristic facial expression that adorned her face like a mask with rising trepidation. All she did was walk through the doorway and make herself comfortable at the foot of his bed.

"We need to talk"

* * *

_**Chapter 8, Fin~**_

_**Wow, I completely forgot to put in any line breaks last chapter, so I had to rush back and do it before uploading this chapter. it's too bad that the dashed don't show up on here, otherwise last chapter would of been easier to read. Oh well, they are there now, and I am kind of looking for a beta reader so that they can remind me. Or at least someone who I can bounce story ideas with. Because I have a tonne of ideas, but do not know when to implement them with this story. I mean, like when should I reveal his flame type, or if the Lolwut moment should be next chapter or this chapter, before deciding to add it on to the end of this chapter.**_

_**And yes, the flame release will be next chapter, along with Serious Nana. Kudos to the people who figured it was going to have an awesome Nana in it. I was going to have it after the flame moment, before deciding against it and having them be hand in hand. Next chapter is going to be fun to write~ It's going to have a lot of reveals (or attempted reveals, depends on where my writing wants to go with it~.**_

_**Anyway, I have gone on too long, so let's move on to the Review section~**_

_**Glasses and Spectacles Part 1: Hello again, and thanks for the review~ This answer is going to be a long one, as I'll be answering the both of them in this paragraph. So yeah, there will be a lot to read here, but I'll try and condense it. Hopefully. Alex is naturally defensive about his hair, it's like his most defining factor so he want's to keep it for as long as possible, as a result he acts the way he does if it's insulted. Alex is totally Ryohei's Waifu, he just doesn't know it yet. I may try and pester my sister to draw him, so that people can see what it looks like and have an actual base to work on his image. But I doubt I'll be able to get one, unless a fan draws one, which will be like a very small chance lol. Yea, I literally sat here for an hour researching how to make a pizza. It was fun, and I feel like I can make one now from scratch. Which is good I suppose :D. I was going to do the same with the chocolate in this chapter, as I actually know how to make them (Surprisingly), but I didn't have the time to do it, and it would of dragged the chapter on for a really long time, so to keep to the schedule I had to get rid of it. Which was so sad. Lol, Gokudera x Alex will...never be a thing lol. I always have fun when Alex is ready to tear someone apart with words, considering he doesn't have the strength to do so with his weapon yet. I find that he speaks more when insulting someone than he does actually talking to them, which makes me giggle inside from it. But most of the conversation is done through actions and small things, and their (Alex and Ryohei) relationship is more than just conversation. But I need to try and fit more of it in somehow, but I find it hard because it knocks off the flow of typing, which makes me sad. I'm glad you are finding it cute lol, it was one of the things I was going for wit their relationship, as it won't become serious until later on. You'll see if you are right about the flames next chapter, which is the grand reveal~ It will be amazing and completely unexpected, I hope, like the Nana surprise at the end of this chapter. Alex and Reborn's relationship is pretty much mutual insulting, lol, maybe it will get deeper than that but that's a maybe lol. It's a good thing you like Alex, as he is my very first OC, so if people like him I can use him as a base to make different OCs lol, if you get what I mean. Anyway, time to jump over to your second review :DDDD, so BRB.**_

_**Glasses and Spectacles Part 2: And here is my response to the second review, so don't forget to read this one as well :D. Ryohei disappeared... OH NOEZ. But they found him again, after all he was at the gym, forgetting about school entirely with his less than stellar memory. He was lucky that it was a teacher training day, so that he didn't get into trouble for truancy or something lol. So he didn't have to nurse him back to help... Well not yet at least~ We all know what's coming up soon, and we get to see a different side of Alex when it comes up. And it will certainly be fun to write, as there will be plot twists~ And lot's of them~ Thank you, I'm glad to hear someone say that I'm pulling Ryohei off well, it's a bit daunting because you have to literally assume aspects of his personality with what little information we do know of him. All I can use as a base is that he is a human, as a result he will have insecurities and things that he loves and hates, so you can make an accurate character with that. I'm pretty much rambling about Ryohei (blame my friend for that, we were re-watching old episodes of KHR and I was forced to point out all the moments with RyoheixReborn after I made a joke about it being Canon), so I'll move on to the rest of your review. Alex's fighting style is certainly going to be flamboyant and exaggerated, as that's just his character, but I have a solid base to use for his move-set, so I'm good to go on that department~ I just need to find a way to improve my fight scenes, so that they are amazing lol. It's one of the reasons why I am on the hunt for a Beta/Outside person to review the chapters before I upload them~ I'm happy seeing you enjoy the pacing/relationship, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy it. So until the next review, cya, and I hope you continue to enjoy it~**_

_**phoenixfyre2552: Hiya again, and thanks once more~ Well, Alex needed to be himself for that chapter, so that we can have plot shenanigans make themselves known lol. I was going to put a little bit of Ryohei at the end, but I did not have enough time to fit it in, so I had to scrap it and throw it in the omake folder for later use lol. So we might see it. Maybe. But we have RyoheixAlex fluff, so it's ok~ And yea, extensive training is coming up soon, along with a Badass Nana who don't need no man. Maybe she'll rub off on Alex, and make him a badass. Kokuyo Arc is going to be the same yet different, as we'll be focusing on Alex and his impact on it. On the subject of Alex being a guardian or an ally I myself am uncertain, because they would both influence the story and I can see them both happening. But I'm leaning more to making him an ally, as the anime/manga has already established the guardians well enough as it is, and there would have to be a major break-down of plot to make it feasible for him to be a guardian. But that does not mean he wont be important, as he will be~ And I can't wait either for the day he becomes a bad-ass, he would certainly be amazing if he was. He does have the attitude for it though, I think. Well, I need to move on to the next review, so until next Ciao~ And I hope you continue to enjoy the story~**_

_**Suntan140: It's been a while since your last review lol, I missed you~ Thanks for the review, and the question~ Alex having a Snow flame wouldn't fit him in my opinion, as I don't think he would have the personality to match it. The glacier flame held by Adelheid would be the closest match, and they would get along like water and oil if together lol. I would assume that to be a Snow Flame, you would have to be mercurial and distant, never actually apart of the action or with the others, just like the suddenness of snow itself and how it melts after touching the floor. That, and if he did have it, he would clash on principal with Ryohei (the love interest) as he is the sun - and the sun melts the snow. They would never be able to be together as they would destroy the other, if you understand what I'm saying. If Hibari was the love interest and Alex had a different personality all together, then a Snow flame could be a viable option due to the whole Cloud and Snow scenario. So he won't be having a new flame, but he will certainly having a new take on an old one~ Try and guess :D. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story, and are not disappointed with me for choosing one of the core seven flame types to be his flame type. So until your next review, cya :D.**_

_**Akatsuki Neko Stalker: Hello again~ 'Monochromatic Shades to Color' kick-started me into writing this lol, and for me to try and hunt down some Male!OC stories, but I didn't find any sadly enough. Alex has a weapon~ And it's sharp and pointy. It's Alex, he obviously is going to have a stupid idea - just look at this chapter. He doesn't run away from Hibari (but he doesn't do that anyway...), causing him to get slapped around by a pair of tonfas and then he plays tennis with dynamite, which isn't the smartest thing to do ever. That weapon is going to cause a lot of trouble for dear old Alex, he just doesn't know it yet. Or he already does and is just being wily about it~ As the person who gave him the weapon, Alexander is going to make a re-appearance~ But in saying that, so will 99.9% of the cast so far lol, so that really isn't a spoiler :D. I'm getting really tired, and I've spent over an hour already on Review section, so I'm going to end it here~ I hope you continue to enjoy this story, and will continue to read it :D. So until your next review, Au Revoir~ (Oh and HAI REBORN! I DIDN'T REALISE YOU WERE READING THIS!)**_

_**Bloodyredblackwolf: Hi, Hi :D! Thanks for the compliment lol, I'm glad you like it~ If you have any questions about it just ask, I'll try my best to answer them. Alex's journal is his BFF lol, he has all the cool names for it lol. But he is sticking with Sexy for now, until he becomes bored of it and changes it to something else. Which I don't know yet, sadly enough, but will probably be a thing soon xD. I'm happy that you enjoy his character lol, it's like a big thumbs up that I am doing good by the character, and that he isn't too unrealistic - so that he is slightly relatable, because he is acting like a teenager xD. Lol, anyway, I'm happy to see that you are reading the story and liking it~ So I hope this chapter is also liked xD. So until your next review, adios~**_

_**Guest1: Hello, and thanks for the review~ I don't know if you and the other 'Guest' are the same person, so I'll have to answer them both separately. Sorry if this is an inconvenience, but it is the only way to be sure, so I'll have to use it. Lol, I don't know what you mean by flamer (my definition could be completely different to yours for all I know), but he is certainly amusing. Even more so when you write as him, considering that you get to see all his future amusing things xD. Anyway, I'm sorry this short, but I am glad that you reviewed, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story~**_

_**Guest2: Once again, I apologise if you are the same person, but I have to be certain that you are/are not, so I have to do two separate replies. Sorry for the inconvenience~ Alex being mistaken as a girl will be very prominent early on, but will stop later on, as people will eventually realise that he is a boy and stop commenting on it. Thus, it will eventually come to an end, but not for a while now~ So don't worry about it being everywhere forever and it becoming an old joke xD. I really need to sleep lol, so I'm gonna end this here and sign out~ Thanks for the review, and I hope you continue to enjoy reading the fic and will review again~**_

_**So once again, thanks to everyone that reviewed the previous chapter, I hope that you'll do so again on this chapter, along with the people who didn't. So thank you everyone that reviewed/favourite/followed/stalked/read/enjoyed the story, and I hope you are happy with this chapter :D.**_

_**So until next time, Au revoir :DDD**_


	9. Chapter 9

An ominous silence pervaded the room, invading it with whispers of dissent. A slight zephyr heralded the winds of change, breezing through the room, blessing all inside with the gentle caress of potential. Leaving as soon as it arrived, it was like the slight wisp was never there, painting the room in shades of monochrome. Owls hooted out a twisted, halting sonata, piercing the heavy silence in the room as if it was paper. Left utterly bereft of his senses, all Alex could do was gaze at the generally oblivious woman in some form of chimeric shock. Tense, he didn't know how to react at the sudden serious nature that Nana was currently wielding like it belonged, mentally noting that this woman was certainly a lot more than she appeared to be. She looked as if she was a professional, stoic yet burning with something unearthly. Taking a heavy-handed step back, Alex didn't know if this was some delusion his mind had concocted or if this was reality – albeit a rather surreal one.

They made no noise whilst they were steeped in their mutual silence. Nana was staring at him as if she knew what was going on inside his head, and was asking him just how he will respond to her catalytic question whilst Alex could only look back with a guarded gaze, trying to recover himself well enough to form a cohesive answer. Taking a deep breathe in an effort to calm himself from the shocking entrance, he took in everything about her, mind racing as he tried to formulate a brand new image of her in his mind. Gone was the completely oblivious image of a mother, and in its place was a picture of an immaculate woman who looked as if she could take you down if you slighted her. It was like seeing the evolution of a princess to queen – airheaded innocence blossoming into something simply awe-inspiring, a regal presence that you listened to, no matter what she asked. No, not something as juvenile as a princess or a queen – she was an empress.

"You done with the internal analysis now? If you are, we can get down to business." Nana commented; face finally shifting to some semblance of her everyday persona, as she simply smiled at the utterly confused boy. Said boy had finally recovered enough to pause and calm himself down, and reached out for his desk chair to use. Pulling it out from its home in his desk, he made to sit on it and nodded his assent for the conversation. Pulling out a ream of paper from his faithful bag, he took out the accompanying pen from where it rested, fully intending on using it to its full potential and jotting down every single little thing the woman spouted – so that he could review it later and figure everything out. With everything set out for the upcoming conversation, he settled into his seat, eyes burning in curiosity at what exactly she would want, and why she has had such a metamorphosis.

"I'll take your silence as conformation that you want me to continue, and you are wise to hear me out – though you certainly must not know that after listening to this conversation, there is no going back to your normal, everyday life. Knowing this piece of information, do you still wish for me to continue on with what I have to say? Be warned that if you reject this, we must never speak of this to anyone – not even to that journal over there." She warned, waiting for his silent nod of confirmation, and when she was given it continued her speech from where it left off. "Thank you. Now before I get in to the main part of what it is I have to say, please refrain from asking any questions – I'll be sure to answer them for you at the end of it, in a form of Q&A, if it would put you at ease." She finished off, taking a deep breathe, as Alex furiously scribbled at his sheet of paper, question after question rolling on to the now marred sheet. If she was feeling poetic, she would make a metaphor, but deciding against it – now was not the time for whimsical fancies.

"Now, to get down to why exactly I wanted to talk to you at this time. You may think that it is me being overtly paranoid to break my cover at twelve, but there is a reason for that, so do not think that I chose this time frame to be facetious, for that was not my intention," She explained, trying to placate the wondering teen in a manner that wouldn't offend him, and turn his anger into even more curiosity. During the period she was speaking, it seemed that he had regained his faculties, alongside his thoughts and feelings – and it reflected in the arched eyebrow at what she said, clearly not believing her but prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt. "The whole purpose of that will be explained later, but for now all I can say is that it involves the Sun Arcobaleno, Reborn. Why I'm here though is because of that blade you now carry in your possession, and what carrying it entails for you and those around you." She continued, pointing at the scarlet bag at the bottom of his feet, or more precisely the cargo it carried in its velvet embrace.

"What does that have to do with anything? Alexander gave me the blade with no explanation other than 'my will matched it', before passing it off to me with a load of other accessories for it. He certainly did not give me any explanation for why he passed it to me, and I'm starting to think that you know more about it than I do. So please, go ahead, explain to me why exactly I have the blade, though I do not regret having it, I would very much prefer to know the backstory behind it." He remarked, icy fury crystallising in his eyes at her nonchalant gesture at his weapons. Clutching the bag possessively, he lost no time in sticking his hand in, and grabbing hold off the handle. Seeing the almost reflexive motion, she smirked, something almost akin to pride appearing in her eyes. Completely knocked off-guard by the unpredicted action, he could only stare at the unpredictable woman, as her smirk evolved into giggles that made him think that she really hadn't changed much.

"It's nice to see her weapon is in good hands, she would of wanted her companions to pass it on to someone who would look after it. I see you are curious as to who owned that Xiphos, huh? Well, before you ask anything, she was a tough woman, protective of what was hers and what she wanted to protect. You remind me of her quite a bit, even realising that I wasn't all that I appeared to be. You aren't the first though; Reborn beat you by a few years, and the Ninth long before him." She smiled, reminiscing on a time long passed. Alex sat there, enraptured by the story, and unable to take his eyes away from the nostalgic woman. Eyes stuck to the woman, he forgot about everything, leaving his pen and paper forgotten as she retold one of the many adventures they went through – in their youth and beyond. She told him of how many men they fought and all the friends they made, before telling him of her death at the hands of heart failure. She said it with a soft smile, eyes glowing with acceptance. No tears were shed, just acknowledgement of the fact that they had parted, and the happy memories acting as a shield, blocking the pain from her eyes.

"You remind me off her, in fact if you were to meet, you would probably be best friends. Your will is almost the same as hers, so the blade accepted you and is prepared to wound for you, whilst the shield is fully ready to defend everything you care for. But, even if all that is good, you have to bear the burden of carrying that weapon set. I'm sure Alex-senpai wouldn't be averse to teaching you the style that she wielded, after all he did teach the previous wielder alongside myself. You do have his number, right? It should have been in that book he gave you; he did the exact same to her." She giggled in recognition, watching as the teen face-palmed before pulling out his phone, saving the number under 'Alexander' and leaving the rest blank. Face-palming himself once more for his stupidity, he pondered the idea of phoning him, before deciding against it – after all, he did not need to be subjected to an angry old man.

"Well I should be going now; after all I have places to be and people to see. But before I leave, I think I should tell you to come to that shop tomorrow, after you have helped out your friend Ryohei-san. After all, you did promise that you'd help him train for that tournament that is coming up soon. I'm off now, so have a good-night sleep and don't forget to turn up at Alexander's shop later. I'll finish everything up there, after all it is approaching two in the morning and you need to get up in a couple of hours. So until then, cya." She waved goodbye, leaving exactly the same way she arrived – soundlessly if not for the sharp knock. Walking out the door, she left Alex with hundreds of questions, and very little answers. All he learnt was that his weapon matched his will and he held the mirror image of its previous owner. Mind rolling in turmoil, he finally let go off his weapon, trying to think up a plan for the rest of the day. His mind coming up blank, except for the blaring message to head to Alexander's shop, and get some answers.

Slipping under the covers, all he could hope for was that he could actually sleep tonight without being haunted by questions. Resting his head on the pillows, he closed his mind, trying to block out the world in exchange for blissful slumber. With all that had gone on today, it was a wonder he could relax without being disturbed with anxiety.

Finally sleeping peacefully, Alex was made oblivious to the passing of time, and the events of today.

* * *

"Good morning Alex-kun~ You must have had a late night to be this tired in the morning~"

Plodding down the stairs in hampered understanding, he almost tripped when he missed the second to last step, luckily catching himself on the rail. Finally making his way past the treacherous obstacle, he plucked away a slice of toast from the plate she was carrying, not even bothering to say a thank you as his mind drowned in fatigue. Remembering to grab his bento, alongside the bento for Ryohei, he made his way out of the front door in a sluggish mess, but not before throwing a grumbled goodbye to the mischievous Nana. She knew exactly why he was in a state like this; after all she was the one who caused it to appear in the first place. If she stayed just the way she was now, then he wouldn't be up pondering questions about 'the who', 'the what' and 'the when' of Nana Sawada. Stumbling on to the driveway, he chose to tactfully ignore the strange girl making her presence known to all around her because of her ridiculous pose on the walls. Taiyo Street was blearily noticed by his sleepy eyes, and he slowly made the walk down to his house.

Knocking on the door, he leaned against it, almost falling asleep on it as he waited for the door to open. He felt so drained, and ready to sleep, that he could have drifted on then and there – with only the warm glow of the Sun to act as a blanket. Falling at the foot of the person who opened the door, he re-opened his too tired eyes to stare at the softly smiling figure of one Kyoko Sasagawa, who only sighed in amusement at the picture he made, curled up on the floor of her house, ready for bed. Chuckling, she looked over the picture he made, as he resembled a cat more than a human. Wild, uncombed hair that looked to be tangled at the edges fell in wave around him, acting like a make-shift cushion more so that actual hair. With his bag left open, she chose to not look through it – she had seen some of the things to come out of there, and didn't know what else lay in there. Alex was lucky, he didn't know how she would act if she found out that there was a blade in there, and didn't want to know the consequences of the happy girl actually trying to pick it up.

But that wasn't the source of her current amusement, as she fell into further hysterics when it fully clicked just what he was wearing. Instead of the immaculate uniform she was so used to seeing on the flamboyant teen, what he was instead wearing was something he wouldn't be caught dead. Clad in his red pyjamas, he looked as if he literally crawled out of the covers to get to the house on time. Deciding to wait and see how long it took for the shattered swordsman in training to figure out that he wasn't in uniform. Luckily, she didn't have to wait long, as she managed to catch the attention of her elder brother, who was curious about the hysterics coming from downstairs. Storming down the stairs, he was fuelled by curiosity, and soon joined his sister when he found out what was awaiting him, but not before noting that he looked cute in it. Roused by the raucous laughter, he was made to notice his current attire by a choking Ryohei's pointing finger. Looking down on himself, his eyes widened in shock before the mortification hit his face head on, with the full force of one of Reborn's dropkicks.

Staring in shock at his choice of clothing, and the fact that he had managed to get to their house without even noticing what he was wearing, he shot up in alarm, dashing past the laughing pair and up the staircase. Quickly followed by Ryohei, he charged into the boxer's room, leaping at the closet as if he was a man possessed, yanking it open in the pursuit of clothes. Well, he would off, if he wasn't stopped by one Ryohei Sasagawa, who was having none of the ginger-haired menace being anywhere near his clothes, lest he come back with none of them remaining. Picking up said menace like he was a rag doll, he let him hang in mid-air for a moment before chucking him onto the bed. Stunned by this, Alex watched as Ryohei yanked open his own closet, and rummaged around the mess of clothes inside, before chucking at the fatigued boy the Namimori Middle's school uniform. The all too big shirt rested on his head, blocking out all light and trading it for the smell of Ryohei. Not entirely amused by the situation, he wriggled around in an attempt to get out of the shirt on his head. Just as he was about to make his escape, he was foiled by a pair of trousers that were thrown with enough force to knock him clear off the bed.

"Oops… Extreme apology? No, well then what about an extreme hug?" Ryohei propositioned as he watched him fumbling teen try and make his escape from the literal labyrinth of clothes, which proved to be one of the biggest challenges he has ever had to face in his short life. Finally managing to escape, he took in deep breathes to recover from the exertion, before glaring intensely at the sheepish boxer, who's only response was to bear hug the tired ginger. Sighing, he just accepted it, after all there was no point in trying to escape someone like Ryohei – it would only end in failure after all. That and he wouldn't really want to see a sad Ryohei - once was enough in his opinion. Waiting for him to let go, he just relaxed, fully preparing to actually sleep whilst Ryohei was hugging him. He even dozed off for a split second, but was swiftly awakened by Ryohei when he let go. Regaining his balance after the bear hug proved to be easier said than done, but with the help of his training (and Ryohei, but he would much rather you believe it was all him), he regained his balance, and using that newly regained balance to kick the boxer out of his own room.

Leaving Ryohei in an 'EXTREME' heap on the hallway floor, he shut the door and before he could fully recover, choosing to not take any chances with him being looked in on. Quickly stripping out of his pyjamas and throwing them carelessly into his bag, he quickly relocated the uniform, before grimacing at the size of it in comparison to his own. It was massive – his was well normal, even if his subconscious decided to pipe up with 'small', and he doubted that he would be able to fit comfortably into it. Sure he could get it on, but then it would just sag, and make him look like he was being swallowed whole by a shirt. That, and the trousers Ryohei had given him looked like they would fall off if he put them on, making him curse at how tall the white-haired teen is in comparison to him. Throwing caution to the wind, he slipped into the clothes, noting that his fears had come to pass. Whilst there was nothing he could do about the shirt, he could easily do something about the trousers. All he needed to do was find a belt to hold them up, and he was golden. Rifling through drawers, he casually ignored the underwear and locked his eyes on the belts. Naturally picking out a reddish-brown belt, he equipped it to himself, sighing in relief when the pants didn't fall down. Re-opening the door, he left the safety of Ryohei's room so that they could get moving to school. Ryohei, thankfully, didn't comment on the state of the clothes, and just made his way to the front door. Pausing to re-adjust his belt to make sure they didn't fall down. He was about to make his way down, only to be stopped by Kyoko, who had left her own room with a bundle of clothes in her hand.

"Alex-kun, don't go anywhere! I have something that you may want~" She sing-songed, waltzing out of her room to make her way towards a suddenly worried Alex, who was wondering just why she was approaching him with such an ominous tone to her voice. Making her way in front of him, she paused, building up dramatic tension before finishing the sentence. "Those clothes certainly don't fit you, and if you are going to help Ryohei _train to fight_, you may want to wear clothes that let you flow more fluidly. So here, take these clothes, I insist~" Kyoko finished, serene voice only slightly darkening at the mention of a fight, which Alex immediately picked up on. Left wondering about why she seemed so bitter about it (ignoring the fact that not a lot of people actively like people they care for getting hurt); he was unable to get the question out before he was assaulted by the clothes-bearing, mischievous woman.

Being pushed down the stairs was a brand new experience for Alex, generally it was him pushing others up stairs, and it seemed the Sasagawa siblings appeared to be the exceptions to this rule. Leaving him in front of the excitable boxer, who took the hint that Kyoko was sending, grasped Alex's hand before he could recover. Dragging the teen along, they started out their familiar routine. And by 'routine', Alex really meant 'him being dragged around by Ryohei on the grounds of training.' Having a different plan this time around, he gestured for Ryohei to stop, and waited patiently for the teen boxer to halt in his tracks before explaining to him what they should do today, instead of him being dragged around like a lunatic in front of everyone today. He doesn't need that added to the list of shock that was going on today. It was already longer than what he wanted his daily dosage of 'WTF' to be.

So five minutes later, Ryohei was seen piggy-backing a fast asleep Alex, who was completely happy to be dead to the world.

* * *

"Come on Ryohei! Pick up the pace! MOVE TO THE EXTREME~" Jumping up and down in his head, Alex was showing no signs of relenting as he attacked Ryohei, working on both his speed and evasion at the same time. For once, Alex was happy of his absolutely abysmal upper body strength, as it allowed him to attack Ryohei without having to weaken the blows, allowing Ryohei to know what it felt like to be in a real battle situation. Or as close to one you could be, as Ryohei was limited to only dodging the hits, and if he couldn't dodge them then he had to block them with his fists. This pace allowed him to get ready for the upcoming tourney, as it was quickly coming up to the day of reckoning for them. Watching in happiness as he dodged all the hits he was throwing, he realised just how far his boxer friend had come in such a short time, realising that people like Ryohei were absolutely perfect for battle. They just steadily kept on getting stronger and stronger, and even without outside stimuli they could become forces to be reckoned with. Ryohei was one of them, along with the head prefect himself, which made it all the more obvious the difference in their abilities. Not that something as small as that will keep him down, he'll just have to figure out a way to stay in the same league as someone like him anyway, sooner or later.

"EXTREME CANNON!" Ryohei roared, throwing a sudden straight that would have sent him flying if it hit him. However, luckily for Alex, he was completely prepared for the counter, blocking the strike with his shield, but despite this he wasn't saved from the impact, flying backwards as he was pushed backward by the impressive blow. Being caught by the rails, he let them launch him back towards Ryohei, angling his fast back for a powerful punch that would at least do some damage to the powerful boxer. Though sadly for Alex, he over-extended, allowing his opponent to duck the blow and reply with a swift uppercut, which was against blocked by his trustworthy shield as he was lifted up off the ground. Landing on the ground a few feet away in a crumpled heap, he took the offered hand with a bright smile, praising him animatedly for how well he was doing and how extreme he was becoming during training.

Ryohei was beginning to get very flustered at the attention he was receiving, causing Alex to give him a sheepish smile. Jumping up and down on the spot in excitement, he had long abandoned the all too baggy shirt and was walking around top-less. His training friend had also done the same, but went a step further and chose to wear the boxing gear – making him look like he was in the championship battle right now. Launching a bottle of water at the still blushing teen's head, he watched in satisfaction as it bounced off the boxer's head harmlessly, watching him get even further embarrassed at the fact that he couldn't catch the bottle in time. Popping the cap, he took a large gulp of the beautifully cool water and thought that he must really not get a lot of praise if he was acting like that after a few short words. Deciding on commenting on it, he didn't know how to say it without it coming out like he was after him, so he just decided to say what came to mind.

"You are really modest you know. You must get a lot of praise with skills like that, and I have got to say you deserve it, and I totally believe that you can take down the fool that you are up against in that competition and take that prize home." Alex praised, trying to make up for years of neglect that Ryohei must have felt. 'Neglect' isn't the best word for it, but even Alex's verbose mind couldn't come up with a word that fit better, as one of the most painful things to happen to someone is for their talents to be ignored. Finishing of the water bottle, he capped it off, placing it in his bag to fill up later. Pushing an exhausted Ryohei towards the shower room, he followed him in, setting the temperature to a reasonably warm temperature before leaving him in peace, sitting outside of the room, and listening in to the staccato pitter-patter of fresh water cascading onto the wall behind him.

"What's it like, Ryohei…" Alex started, before trailing off in the middle, unable to put into words just what it is he wants to say. He wants to know everything about him, and it was scary to him to want to know about someone for personal reasons, and not just for the sake of his knowledge banks Unaware of the inner turmoil going through his friends mind, Ryohei carried on, singing some crazy, nonsensical song that made him smile in delight. He could put it off for now anyway. It's not as if he was going anywhere anytime soon, and he'll have absolutely years to ask him what he wants to know. Hearing the shower go off in the other room, Alex stood up, ready to move in to the room when Ryohei finally opened up the door. Stepping through the open doorway after knocking and seeing if he was decent, Alex himself was not prepared for what lay in wait in the shower room. Entering the steamy, he was ready to kick him out if necessary to get his shower, but was intercepted by a massive ball of Ryohei. Feeling himself crushed to Ryohei's chest, as the warrior looked at him with some strange glint in his eyes.

"Anything wrong? It's not EXTREME(!) to leave your friends sad, right?"

He smiled softly, hidden away in Ryohei's arms, not even caring about what people would think if they saw him right now.

And he replied, hesitance obvious on his tone, resting against the anchor for a moment.

"I'm okay"

Ryohei didn't believe him, but seeing that he was not ready to talk about it, hugged him even tighter.

* * *

"What exactly is this?" Alex only stared in ample disbelief at the sight that graced his viridian orbs, as the surrealism slapped him in the face with a golf club and left in a manner reminiscent of Reborn's mole holes. In front of him sat an elderly old man, decked head to toe in gear that made him look like he belonged in a war-zone then a shop. Even if said shop is a weapon shop. Right across from the man decked out in everything ranging from pistols to bazookas, sat Nana, who was dressed up in combat gear, metal fan dangling from its resting point on her belt, looking oddly reminiscent off a bat than a tessen. The room they were in was the exact same as it was previously, weapons dotted around the room in an abstract pattern that suited the place to a 'T'. Seeing everyone here, the Alexander ignored the youth's question, favouring the elder women with a look before the two entered the backroom. Feeling like it was confirmation for him to join them; he quietly followed them into the room.

The room that he entered was completely bereft of anything noteworthy, other than a large banner that rested on top of the central table. Seven seats littered around the central table, each one with a different seal emblazoned on the tip of the seat. Seeing Alexander head towards the seat that was inscribed with the gun sigil, and Nana heading towards the seat emblazoned with the fan, he put two and two together and made his way over to the seat the held the seal of a shield that had a sword handle sticking out of the top and the tip of the blade sticking out of the middle. Taking a seat, he looked around the notably bare room before focusing heavily on the central banner. The curious thing was made up of an onyx material, and held no other colours except a dark red road that cut through the middle and spelt out the initials 'G.T.F' – obviously important if it was written in the middle, perhaps it was the name of the group? Whilst he was analysing the room, the senior members of the group had already started a conversation, and was ready to bring him into it now that he had finished his silent vigil. Seeing that they had left it to him to lead the conversation, but only because he had questions that needed to be answered, he decided to begin with the most prudent question.

"Just…Just what is this place?" He questioned, wonder evident in his voice when it clicked just where he was. The two adults just stared at each other, as if wondering just what was going through his mind to ask that question first as opposed to why he was here. Not that it mattered anyway, it was all the same to them anyway – he would have to go through a trial anyway to be proven ready of being a part of the group.

"I would love to answer your question Alex-kun, but before that you must take a test to see if you are ready to be a part of the 'G.T.F'. The question is whether or not you are ready to take it." Nana asked, directing her question towards the now smirking teen, who was giving her a look that stated that if he wasn't prepared, then why exactly would he be here. A statement that he soon voiced out loud, much to the silent old man's chagrin. Alexander chose to ignore his attitude, wondering if he was such a smart-ass as a teen, before forgetting that train of thought when Nana replied with a simple okay. With the confirmation out of the way, he stood up, gesturing for the blade-wielding teen to follow behind him. Alex just followed behind, taking notice that they were steadily going underground, and at the rate they were scaling the stairs it wouldn't be too long before they reached a mile underground. Stopping outside a door that held the same symbol as his seat, he was asked once more whether or not he was prepared to take the trial, which he replied with an affirmative. With all that said and done, he was given room to enter, and when he did the door soon shut behind him.

Taking a look at the medieval room, he scanned around, hoping to catch sight of something that might help him figure out what it was that he had to do. The room didn't look much like a room, and instead resembled an Ancient Greek theatre, tall standing walls filled to the brim with ancient stone chairs that must have held hundreds of people as they watched the performance down below. A massive dip into a massive crater soon followed afterwards, raising alarm bells in his mind as he realised that the room he was in was certainly not a theatre, and was more like a…coliseum. His thoughts cut off by a great bellowing roar, his eyes scanned for his target, before locking on to his target. A massive bear was pandering around the crater, rearing up at him as if beckoning for him to attack him. Realising with no small amount of dread that this must be his challenge, he took a deep sigh, calming himself before dropping down in front of the bear with no grace at all. Fumbling up-right, he armed himself with his shield and sword, read to strike out at the bear.

Raising his blade, he charged head on, swiping at the bear with his short sword.

Oblivious to the crackling green blaze emanating from his forehead.

* * *

,

_**Chapter 9, fin~**_

_**CLIFFHANGER EVERYWHERE :DDDD. Ohh boy, Alex is in trouble. Having to fight an angry bear. And just what is the 'G.T.F' anyway? Well, I was going to reveal all that, but decided to get it all done next time - where we get to listen to more plot~ Sound fun? IKR. **_

_**A lot will be answered next time, so be sure to read it xD. Including how he managed to unlock his lightning flames without the use of a Dying Will Bullet. So yea, this was a thing. And just to make it clear, because of this, he will not be a guardian, as he will be a member of 'G.T.F', just so everyone knows~**_

_**THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT SO LOOK AT ME PLEASE! GOT YOUR ATTENTION? YES? GOOD. SHOULD I CHANGE THE RATING? THAT IS ALL.**_

_**So yea, onto review section~**_

_**phoenixfyre2552: Hello again :D! I don't mind if you don't have much to comment on, it's the fact you reviewed that counts :D! Well anyway, this chapter is question central, I mean there is so much answered yet so much more left unexplained, so if you have any questions feel free to ask them and I'll answer to the best of my ability~ Yea, I went with ally, because I'd much rather keep the already established back-story in place lol, the anime and manga worked hard on it xD. Alex being able to kick Hibari's ass would be an amazing day, and I hope that it comes soon. I doubt it though, but there is always hope that he'll turn super awesome and tear the carnivore apart. After all, he needs answers to some important questions that only Hibari can answer~ So tghere will certainly be a confrontation somewhere down the line... Yea, I totally agree with you, and they are all amazing the way they are lol. Well, I am happy you reviewed, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter :D**_

_**Glasses and Spectacles: HIYA :DDD! Lol I know how you feel, staying up till stupid times cause of work... That and me procrastinating over homework :D. Shakespeare is a part of my past now, had to do it for my GCSE in Literature - had to do Romeo and Juliet along with Othello. It was pretty decent, and if you need any help just ask lol. Nana was a BAMF, and she propositioned him and asked of he would join up with the 'G.T.F', and she seemed to know a lot about the previous owner of Alex's weapon. Cliffhangers make the world go round, case in point where we get another one today (but 'm tired xD). Ryohei really should get drunk with Ryohei. Or get naked, either id fine by me :P. Lol I'm kidding xD. Alex would love to see a drunk Hibari, andw ould relish in taking any dodgy pics to use as blackmail material later. RyoheixAlex is all about the fluff xD, with the occasional bits of Angst to spice it up lol. The hug was there because I was in the mood to hug someone at that time lol, and the words that I used were done because I was all like OMG what would he say xD. I updated wit**__**h the flames lol, that dodgy last line cliffhanger thing I threw in just a seconds ago was not even gonna be there xD. I was actually thinking about using one of the Earth Flames, but dropped them in favour of Lightning. I was going to use one put, but figured he would have to be apart of the Shimon Famiglia to have them, and as he most definitely isn't... It wouldn't work lol. Sadly. Mrs Heartoak is too sneaky for her own good lol, and that's all I'm gonna be saying about her - she'll be important (like everyone that is a person in this story, apparently, you have to assume they'll be important lol as I have the strange tendency to bring unknown people in and make them seem less than they are, and then BOOM they're important xD. Or not xD). Oops, 'Setsuna Setsuna' was supposed to be 'Setsuna Setsuka', one of the girls that Alex will be tutoring soon (and by soon I mean soon~), but I must of been tired and my finger moved to an N instead of a K xD. Ahh well, I'll have to go back and fix it one day lol. Alexander is Alexander. That is all. But is Alex short for Alex? Who knows. Maybe, maybe not :P. BTW I'm just making more questions at the moment lol, MWEHEHEEE. Yup, Research is good, it's one of the things I enjoy about writing as you learn some really strange and interesting things when you have to look it up. But then you can easily get distracted, which is bad xD. Alex secretly likes Gokudera, but don't let him find out I told you that or I'll get stabbed by his pointy stick. XD I need to get some sleep, and I was like Ryohei is going to be fine, Angst can come later xD. Lol, I'm moving on to the next review, so thank you for reviewing and I hope you'll do so again~ Oh yeah I hope you enjoyed this instalment :D**_

_**Akatsuki Neko Stalker: Hi again :D. Serious Nana is the best kind of Nana, it shows that the seemingly oblivious mother can survive on her own, which I hoped to capture when I started to write her. I tried to see that yes she can be serious, but she still is the same old kind-hearted woman she was before, which I hope I manage to convey with her. Dynamite Tennis is the newest Olympic Game xD. Well it would be if I was in charge of it. I mean, it would be so much fun...even if it is very dangerous xD. Thanks for sticking around lol, and I hope this update was up to snuff with what you expect~ I hope ou'll review again lol, so until next time ciao ciao~ (Thanks Reborn~ I'm glad you're not mad that I made Alex insult you a lot xD)**_

_**And that's that done~ So until next time, thanks to everyone that reviewed the previous chapter, and I hope that you'll do so again on this chapter, along with the people who didn't. So thank you everyone that reviewed/favourite/followed/stalked/read/enjoyed/e tc/etc the story, and I hope you are happy with this chapter :D**_

_**So until the next update, Sayonara~**_


	10. Chapter 10

Theory dictates that, as soon as you are in a fight, you dodge all attempts to destroy you and you strike back with brutal efficiency. You then continue your assault, showing no mercy, tearing through your foe's defences as if they simply did not exist. Slicing, crushing, _shattering_ – fighting at your very max until you secure victory, even if you suffer slight wounds from the clash, it would be totally worth it. After all, you would have won, and survived to fight another day, as fate would decree. But is it truly like that when you pick up a blade?

No, Alex decided, as he ducked out the way of the beast's claw. Theory can go burn in the depths of the Sahara; it certainly wasn't useful now, as he was quickly being pushed back by overwhelming force. Dodging, twirling, weaving – it was all he could do to get out of harm's way, the bear not giving him any chance to retaliate or take advantage of any holes in its' bestial guard. All he could do was dance out of its grasp, and pray that he won't be smart enough to take advantage of Alex's rapidly declining stamina. Blocking a rampant claw with his shield, he managed to make the bear relent on his attacks, before smacking the beast on the side of the head in an effort to disillusion the beast on continuing its assault. Both he and the bear seemed to almost be shocked at the results however, as the smack had a much greater affect then the two thought. Instead of momentarily stunning the beast as intended, the blow seemed to have been reinforced somewhat, as Alex's foe sailed across the arena, skidding to a stop at the far side of the room. Staring at his shield in awe, he finally noticed a wisp of green lancing from the shield, heading straight towards his forehead.

Quickly facing his blade, he stared at his reflection in shock. What graced his eyes was something that should have been impossible, something that defied every law of physics that was currently known to man. A green, lightly sparking, flame had blossomed into existence on his forehead, and had latched onto his shield without him being none the wiser. Light electrical sparks were constantly pouring off the flame, shooting off into the air like miniature fireflies, before being swallowed whole by the very air itself. Vibrant green trails spread like wild-fire, criss-crossing all over his body – covering every inch of him in viridian green line. Alex couldn't help but feel intense shock at this, after all this was something you would only find in Manga – something he knows all about. Re-adjusting himself for battle, he decided to think on the odd phenomenon later, and force the answer out of Alexander himself if he must. But for now, he needed to focus on the much more pressing matter.

This _bear._

The bear had long since recovered from the blow, and was now staring at him in anticipation. Flight or fight – two eternally opposed instincts were raging a silent war inside its mind, fighting for dominance. Seeing the raging war inside the beasts subconscious, Alex slowly made his way forward, inching ever forward to the beast, he made sure not to make too many sudden moves, lest he urges him to continue the fight. Treading sand, he approached the uncharacteristically cautious animal, lifting up a hand in surrender to it. The mental war inside seemed to come to an end, and the results were not what Alex would of like. The bear leapt at the outstretched hand, ready to tear it right out of its socket. The great maw opened wide, and clamped down hard on the limb, yanking it straight off. Or would have, if it wasn't for the defensive shield that his body was ensconced in. Yanking his hand back reflexively, he stared, confusion evident as he seemed to be unharmed from the assault. The bear he was up against seemed to have been knocked unconscious from the electrical shock, and was twitching sporadically on the floor. He seemed to be alive, thankfully, but Alex had yet to figure out just what this so-called 'trial' was all about.

_Why exactly is this place here? This 'trial'… Just what does he want me to do? I mean, I am underground in some crazy ancient coliseum. Seriously_. _I thought a bear, that should have been it, and now that I have a moment of peace, just what is this even supposed to be! _Mental rant over, Alex took a deep breath to calm himself down, and scanned the area once more, under the notion that after he had defeated the bear, something would of changed. The towering walls were much the same, ancient murals depicting ancient battles between man and beast, and even if Alex found them interesting, it wasn't what he was after. The upper area was left completely the same, dust and sand crumbling off every now and again, pouring onto a large mound and disappearing from sight forever. The sandy ground had deep foot-prints and heavy claw marks dotting throughout, uncovering the steel underneath for Alex's prying eyes.

_Wait what? Why is there steel here? Aren't we deep underground?_ Curiosity peaked; he approached the largest patch of uncovered steel, and crouched around it. The steel underneath was practically unmarred, untouched by the battle, and only had a single, very slight groove cut into the centre of the steel. Suspicious, he used his blade as a marker, placing it in the groove on the floor. Following it with his weapon as a guide, he cut through the dust, before making his way to a very slight hole in the ground. Placing the blade above the now uncovered hole, he stabbed downwards, piercing it with his sword. Waiting anxiously, he thought that maybe this wasn't a good idea, as nothing else was happening in the nearby vicinity, sighing in discontent as he made to pull it up. Yanking at it, Alex glared at the uncompromising relic, as it seemed to stare back with a victorious glint to it. Staring at it in anger, he couldn't help but notice something about the positioning of it, before it clicked just what he had to do.

_And suddenly, everything makes sense! Why I had to fight the bear, along with the all too convenient groove in the middle of the floor. It is so obvious, how could I have missed it. _Eyes shining like a supernova, Alex reached out for the weapon, before placing his shield on the hilt of it. The unified weapon glowed momentarily, sucking up the green glow at an incredibly fast rate, soon inheriting the glow for its own. Feeling the faint pressure of the flame dissipate, he raised his hand to feel around the area, noticing that it had completely disappeared from his entire body. Watching the entrancing display, Alex couldn't help but spot that it had literally exploded into green, crackling like frozen wildfire in a wasteland of sand. Lightning arced off the inferno, crashing into the surroundings causing it to shake; some parts of it even fell off, impressive murals shattering on impact with the ground. Ducking down, he narrowly avoided losing his head to the debris, as he watched in dismay as it seemed that the entire world was falling apart. Watching a large shard impact with the floor, his tension melted away, swiftly becoming shock as he watched it fizzle away into nothingness, disappearing entirely from view. Twisting his head round, he saw that the large boulder that he had to duck had also disappeared from view.

_Okay, something isn't right here. I mean, why on Earth has all the rubble gone? I am starting to believe that this isn't actually real… _His thoughts trailed off as he got blindsided by a tiny rock, raising an arm to defend his face from the tiny rock. Watching it cut a clean line on his skin, he noted that they were certainly real, but he couldn't discount what he had seen. They didn't exist enough to last alone on the ground, but they were certainly real enough to damage someone. If he had to guess, then he would have to say that it was a simulation or something, but nothing electrical could last that long. Monitoring the electrical surges, he made to grab the blade, and decided to bite the bullet and grasp the hilt. Instead of the resulting electrical shock that he was expecting, the aura vanished as soon as they came into contact, quickly leaving before anyone else could have noticed it. The blade was easily pulled out of its earthen sheath, the same glittering steel it was before it was placed there, giving off a few, barely visible sparks before returning completely to its former self. The shield however, was another story entirely. The shield had a light green coating that looked more like an electrical barrier, sparking dangerously in Alex's grip. It got to such a large intensity that he had to shield his eyes, lest they become damaged by the fountain.

Feeling the light calm down enough for him to move his hand, his eyes widened as they drank in the sight of the changed shield. It had gone through a metamorphosis, taking on a brand new inscription, showing no other signs of having the old one at all. Where the stylized 'V' shape once made its' home, a brand new image took its place. It was like looking into a broken mirror, reflective shards shattered into an unnatural spider web, deep gouges now present in the defensive weapon. Between the scars, there laid a poisonous green back-drop that made it look absolutely menacing, that slowly bled into red when it approached the middle. Eying it curiously, thousands of eyes stared back as he analysed the brand new weapon. So deep in his thoughts, he almost missed the walls flickering into oblivion, leaving him alone in a cold, steel room. Gone were the tattered epitaphs, the old stone seats and the bear, leaving him alone in painful emptiness. Hearing the familiar click of a door, he did a complete '180', leaving him facing the almost proud face of Alexander, and the exhausted face of Nana. Raising an eyebrow towards the fatigued woman, he couldn't help but frown at the condition she was in.

"Brat, you were in an illusion, case in point why Tessen is so damn tired right now." Alexander cut off, stopping Alex in his tracks before he could speak. Closing his mouth, he could only contemplate just what exactly that meant, before the reality slapped him in the face with more force that Ryohei's 'EXTREME HOOK'. It had been an illusion the entire time. The bear, the coliseum, everything. It was why everything was so convenient inside it. The completely random bear that was inside, the easy to manoeuvre around battlefield, the completely random patches of uncovered steel. It was all carefully crafted by Nana Sawada, a seeming mastermind in the arts of subterfuge, and there was no real danger at all whilst he was in there. Illusions seemed to be the answer to everything, but he had yet to figure out though just what that power was. It was too interesting to not ask about, there was just so much potential surrounding it.

"Just what was that power? I mean, it was…it was… Extreme. I had a sudden power boost, and I felt like I was in Tsuna's 'Dying Will' state. But his flame is orange, whilst mine was green. Do I have a different type than his? It would make sense; after all, I just thought that everyone would have close to the same. Oh, is this what you meant by the 'same will' a few days ago? So I'm the same as 'her' right? I won-" He promptly collapsed, unable to finish his mad rambling, falling to the floor in a heap, crashing face first onto the steel plates.

He was unconscious before reaching the ground, luckily unable to feel the impact of the blow.

* * *

When he next woke up, it had yet to reach dusk, and the cool morning air wafted inside his room in slight zephyrs. Rubbing his aching head, Alex crawled out of the bed, ignoring his new and improved weapons just lying on the ground in favour of the letter that sat innocently on the mahogany desk, sealed with an ominous 'G.T.F' stamp. A short note was next to it, alongside a non-descript ring that was also stamped with the very same signet. Picking it up, he made quick work of the note, which stated the not-so-obvious to the young boy. Apparently, if this was to be believed, he had to wear the ring before opening the letter, or else something gruesome would befall the perpetrator. Deciding not to take any risks when mysterious letters are involved, even more so if the enigmatic 'G.T.F' are involved with it, he picked up the ring, did a once over on it, before slotting his finger into the ring. Pure silver, large, along with his signet emblazoned on it proudly - it looked more like a costume piece or an overly gaudy piece of jewellery that would make its home in a Harry Potter book.

With the ring firmly in place, he tentatively inched his hand towards the letter, unsure of what he may find in the letter, or even if it will be an answer to his question. It was the sort of thing that, if life was a game and that everything was already laid out, then this would be the point of no return. If he opened it, then this would literally be the last chance for him to back down and pretend that these past few days had never happened. Sighing, he steeled his resolve, and flipped open the letter, cringing slightly when the seal fizzled angrily, before going silent as it dissolved into the atmosphere, leaving the paper pristine and free of any markings, beside the messy scrawl that he now knows belongs to Alexander. Scanning the page, he looked from word to word, drinking in all the words, before going slack-jawed at the implications. Keeping a firm grip on the catalytic sheet, he plodded down the stairs, entering the dining room. Flipping everything on, he got started on his breakfast (home-made pancakes, one of his best dishes if he may say so himself) and made sure to cook extra for Ryohei – he was fighting in a tournament today, which involved going up against the boxing club in Kokuyo, and the Karate club in the school.

Casually flipping the pancakes every now and again, he set aside the letter next to the pan he was using, looking over to the side to read it as he subconsciously cooked breakfast.

_Dear Brat,_

_You're an idiot. I'm just going to pre-empt you acting like an absolute freak and point it out now. With that out the way, I can get on with what this letter is all about, along with insulting you in the meantime. It's absolutely wonderful, brat, isn't it? Tessen was the one to suggest it, so thank her, not me. You will be thanking her a lot after you finish this letter, eh? However don't be surprised if she dodges anything – she is a Mist, after all, and they are wily even at their worst. They have to be, if they are to keep themselves safe, and it's very hard to be anything but when you can create absolutely anything in the world, just with their minds. A lot of people are after Mists for that very reason, as they can create an endless amount of supplies, barring few exceptions. These are notably precious metals like gold and silver, so they cannot create money. They are also extremely obsessive over something, Nana is obsessed over child safety, and caring after them, and acts like her general self around them._

_Another notable Mist is ESPer Mammon, and you can probably guess that he has extra-sensory perception from the capitalisations. Considering that 'ESP' stands for extra-sensory perception and all, someone who aims to be 'The Number One Agent' in the world, you would certainly be able to spot that. You can already tell can't you? It is obvious, right, that I did read that secret diary of yours. It was certainly interesting, to say the least, and Tessen is happy to note that her persona is believable. That and she found it amusing that you asked her painfully shy son if he liked Yaoi. If you were anyone else however, she would have most likely torn you apart for trying to corrupt her precious child. If it was me, I would have done it anyway. I can already tell that you are going to be an absolute pain, and you're more likely to hinder us then actually help us, knowing your temperament and personal endeavours in comparison to our own. So that leads us to the main part of the letter, and why you are currently reading this._

_The 'Guardian Task Force', otherwise known as 'G.T.F', is the Vongola's top-secret task-force that does anything in their power to help them to the best of our abilities. We don't hold any actual power inside the upper echelons, but that doesn't mean we lack influence within the inner workings of the main Famiglia. We are literally the secret guardians, if you'd like to think of it like that, but without any of the benefits. We just do missions set out by the Head, and if we complete them we continue on with our lives, to finish even more missions. We were officially set up by the Secundo, near the end of his reign, to make sure that all of the guardians managed to successfully complete their missions. So, we pretty much help out the higher ups when they need us, which is the general gist of what we are. The only people who know about us is the current Vongola head, and Reborn – who only knows due to him sabotaging Tessen's cover, and had to be informed via a direct missive from Nono. He is that paranoid about it, but I'm not surprised, considering he is the greatest hitman in the world, and he has to be paranoid to survive._

_As I have stated above, we take missions that have no set requirements, and just have to be done, for the betterment of the Vongola and all that. Personally I don't care what sort of pretty name they gave us; we are pretty much the same as all the other grunts, just steeped in anonymity. Ergo, we can't ever tell anyone what we are from, and if caught have to convince our captors that we have a mercantile base, as no one is allowed to know of our existence, aside from those specified above. Now that I have the general introduction to the 'G.T.F' out of the way, I can start to answer all of your questions in relation to that 'trial' and just what happened during it, along with informing you what the requirement was to pass the trial successfully. This, in my opinion, is long overdue but Tessen refused to let me just tell you your next mission. She believes that you need to know just what went on in that room, so I'll oblige her. Don't think that this will be common though – as leader of the current generation of the 'G.T.F' I will not be showing this trend of obliging every question, so do not under any circumstances think that you can bury your nose in things that are far out of your league._

Eyebrow rose in curiosity, he swiftly checked back to his pancakes, making a mental note that they were looking absolutely gorgeous and that he will force feed them to Ryohei, plated them before moving back to the letter. Whilst it answered a large amount of his questions, Alex still couldn't help but feel that there was something that Alexander hadn't written down in his notes about the 'G.T.F', and seemed to hesitantly touch on the word 'guardians' without any other real words on what it meant. If taken literally, just what are The Guardians and what are they guarding? They have to be important, but how important are they in relation to someone like Nono, who is the head of the Vongola? Curious indeed, but it could also be metaphorical in the sense that these are not actual guardians, but instead some form of experts that do not need to actually fight, which seems to make sense considering the context of the mafia. Shrugging his shoulders, he decided that his time was better spent on eating the delicious waffles, and thinking about what his mission will be. Finding the spot he was in, he continued to read, ready to get this over and done with so he can prepare for his tutoring session/tournament support that he will do later on today with his new students. Sighing in exasperation, he found where he was, and continued to read the letter.

_So as you had figured out easily enough, you were trapped in one of Nana's illusions, and forced to go through the trial that many other Xiphos candidates had to go through before, though it has been a while since anyone has ever managed to successfully complete it. To be perfectly honest, I thought you wouldn't make it, but you must have been really lucky to figure it out. Though I believe that you had some outside help from Tessen, who must have manipulated your flame to awaken, and then somehow managed to take control of it during the fight to augment your physical abilities. She is wily and cunning, and must have her own reasons to actively interfere in the trial by making you win. I never know with her, she has been in the business for a while and learned a few tricks of her own._

_The trial was to test whether or not you would use your shield in defence as opposed to offence, which is why the battle seemed to stop when you used your shield to attack, as opposed to your sword. The symbol of the sword in the shield was used to emphasise the purpose of your role in the 'G.T.F', which is to defend the group from outside interference at all times. In a way, your role fits your life-long dream of being an agent, as you will be used in keeping our little group safe from the rest of the world, which will certainly involve a little bit of subterfuge. Though do not think that you can put down your sword, as there is a reason why you have both in your designation. You will be sent on assassinations like the rest of us, yours will just be a little…different. I hope you understand just what I'm trying to tell you here, and I made further amendments to that book you were given. I hope to see you complete up to half by the next time we meet, and I will be testing you to make sure you haven't failed that goal._

_You must be curious about your next mission by now, correct? I would be if I was in your shoes. You will have two separate assignments going on at the same time, so be prepared for any and all eventualities. It may not be an assassination, but you should still be prepared. The mission is for you to gather information on Reborn's motives, and find out just why he is accelerating at such a rapid pace, for something must be going on for him to be so adamant on Tsunayoshi Sawada gaining family members. His behaviour is suspicious, for he isn't actually going for every person to join the family that Tsuna encounters, as opposed to his behaviour with Dino, a former student of his. He seems to be going for specific people – important people. It wasn't circumstance for him to bring along the 'Hurricane Bomber' from Italy here, and he seems to have his eyes locked on the younger Yamamoto joining the family. It should be simple for you to integrate yourselves into their group of friends to find out what is going on, as you and your boxer friends are the newest targets of his. He wants Ryohei to follow Tsuna under the pretence of 'extreme', and you will soon follow._

_Secondly, we want you to help protect the young boss, as there will be some gaps in Reborn's defence of him that an enemy can easily take control of him, and either hold him for ransom or just outright assassinate him, like they did for the Ninth's children. I hope you are ready for a tough ride, as this will be one mission that won't end until he takes over as the next head during the inheritance ceremony, or until you are replaced, which seems unlikely as we will not be getting any new members until the core returns, which will be a very long time away, as they are all on missions right now. Nana Sawada, who will be known as 'Tessen' during mission times, and not any other name that your mind may come up with, will be your back-up during your mission. It is only right, considering it's her only son at risk here, but she cannot be pro-active in her defence as she has to stick to her motherly persona. However, that doesn't mean that you cannot go to her for help, as I'm sure she'll oblige you if you ask her politely._

_As a final note to this letter, keep an eye on that boy you helped out the other day, as you are right to think that 'Natsu Ryu' has more centred around him than meets the eye, and I am sure that it will be important information for us if you manage to force the information from that 'carnivore' Hibari. His disciplinary committee holds a lot of power in this town, and why they are after him is very intriguing. Getting help from that friend of yours would certainly be a good idea, as even I am lost as to what sort of insidious plot he is trapped in. Think of it as a tertiary objective to the one you have now, but don't feel compelled to complete it. Though as I write this I'm thinking you'll do so either way, brat that you are would end up focussing on the thing that caught your attention first._

_Burn this letter after you've read it, it would not be a good idea if anyone can get the information stored there. _

_Signed, 'Claymore'_

_P.S: Don't feel pity for me. I'll stab you if you do, and get better protection for 'Sexy'. It needs it._

Looking away from the foreboding footnote, he eyed the room to see if he had been spotted reading this by anyone who had managed to sneak in. before sighing in relief and heading towards the oven to set fire to it. The only people to use the oven were Nana and himself, so no one else was ever going to find it if there was any remains. Turning it to the highest setting, he watched the flickering flames dance there languid waltz, before slipping the sheet of paper into the quiet blaze. Watching as it disintegrated, he stood up, packed up the rest of the pancakes and grabbed the two prepared bentos, before running out of the house.

He needed to make banners with Kyoko after all – Ryohei would demolish anyone those Kokuyo Kreeps could throw at them!

* * *

"What…do you…MEAN? Why in the name of everything are those Kokuyo not here? So the match is just between OUR karate team and OUR Boxing Club? I seriously see something wrong with this. It's like this isn't even a competition anymore, just a pity match between our own clubs! I swear there better be an award at the end of this for us, or at least a trophy because I swear…" Alex ranted, glaring down at the cringing representative with the wrath of a thousand suns, as said Kokuyo representative was praying for the rant to end, without it having to cost his life. They were currently in the Boxing club's room, whilst the leader of the Karate club continued to beat down members of the Boxing club with ease. The Kokuyo rep was trying to interject with a response, but Alex was having none of it, continuing his lecture with the ferocity of an angry bear. Ignoring the freak-show going on behind him, he paused in his raging to let the poor boy stammer out a response, as his ire simmered beneath the surface.

"Th-th-the leader of the fight club, Ken Josh-Joshima is too busy at the moment. He couldn't co-come, but he did deliver a mess-message." He paused, spotting the look that plainly said 'get on with it or die', continuing where he left off, somehow managing to regain some semblance of his confidence. "He said, quote-en-quote, those 'Namimori Weaklings don't deserve to face us, we shouldn't even bother turning up' then he just walked off cackling," he managed to finish off, before getting out of there before Alex reached breaking point and beat him to death with the picket sign he was waving around like a maniac. Watching the boy scurry off, his temper snapped as a club member sailed over his head, crashing against the wall as other members rushed to help him up. Hearing him say something else about there not being anyone stronger, he was about to tear him a new one with his brand new sword and shield, even if it was against the rules. His rampant thoughts were cut off by Ryohei's return to the room, anger quickly warping to vindictive glee as he realised that the karate dude was going to get smashed into oblivion by his fists.

"EXTREME! I'LL TAKE YOU DOWN WITH MY EXTREME FISTS!" Ryohei roared, looking more like a lion than an actual human, dashing into the ring with speed that he didn't have before their joint training regime. Sighing in exasperation at how exaggerated he was reacting to it all, he wondered just why Ryohei was acting significantly louder than he was usually, staring with something akin to confusion at the back of the boxer. Watching him pound the guy into mush was, whilst hilarious, getting somewhat annoying as he kept on repeating 'EXTREME' and reacting more like a hyper child than his usual Ryohei self. With a cry of 'EXTREME', he watched as the adversary flew out of the room, landing in a crumpled heap outside. His cronies soon followed, and the other members of the club flew out soon afterwards, leaving the room after congratulating him somewhat briefly, disappearing in flocks. Noting Ryohei's face dropping as they left, them not even taking the time to stay and celebrate, they were soon enough the only people left in the room. Shaking his head in anger for him, as Ryohei isn't the sort of person to hold a grudge for that, he made a mental note to tip off the disciplinary committee about some illicit deals going on involving them, before making his way on top of the ring.

Taking Ryohei by the hand, he almost giggled at the look on Ryohei's face as he was trapped in a massive hug by the irritable red-head. Jumping around with the boxer in his arms, he barrelled around the room, shouting compliments at the top of his voice, peppering it with a few 'extremes' to cheer up the boxer. Showing no signs of slowing down, he traded the hug for a piggy-back ride, jumping on the winners back, urging him to continue moving. Soon the members disappeared from their minds, soon replaced by laughter, as they quickly degenerated into mad convulsions on the floor. Neither of the two new why they were laughing, they just went with it, enjoying it whilst it lasted. After all, nobody knows when these halcyon days will fade away, so they may as well enjoy the company whilst it lasts. Calming down, a comfortable silence ushered itself into the room, only ever being pierced by the soft pants from the two fighters.

"Oh yeah… Ryohei, can I ask you something?" Alex asked, rolling around to face the boxer. Hearing a non-committal grunt in return, he felt that it was confirmation for him to continue with his train of thought, "Why exactly did you come late, anyway? I went to your house today and Kyoko said that you already left for school. Did someone come to get you or something?" Alex finished off, curious about the answer. He would have to see if Ryohei has made a new friend, to go check on whether or not they wouldn't go out and hurt him or something – even if it was unintentional. Ryohei was delicate in a sturdy way, if he had to put into words just how Alex thought he was. He may be an excitable puppy, who was innocent to the extreme, but he had insecurities as well. After all, what teenager doesn't, and it doesn't help that he wasn't popular like Yamamoto was, even if he was a 'sports-star' like him. Ryohei just stared at him in incomprehension, looking at him as if he just said that Reborn was innocence incarnate, before pulling a face in deep thought. Waiting patiently, he just inched closer to him, hoping for an answer that wasn't something typically Ryohei, like 'I forgot'.

"I'm fighting that extreme kid today so that he will join the boxing club. We need someone as extreme as him in our club." He announced, nodding sagely, looking as if it was the best idea ever. Alex nodded, closing his eyes as if to sleep, before they flew open as it clicked on just what he said. Shooting up, he stared at him in utter incomprehension, before realising that he really had just offered Tsunayoshi Sawada, the same one he lived with and routinely notices him being pretty much abused by Reborn, a place in the Boxing Club. And to make matters worse, they were to fight to ensure whether or not he joins. Fearing that Tsuna probably does not want to be a part of this, and Reborn (or Ryohei, he couldn't really tell on who it was in this situation) probably forced him into this situation. Worried for him, considering he has even less fighting experience than Alex himself did, he wanted to stop him from doing it, but decided against it when he saw how happy he was at the prospect of him joining.

"Pao Pao." Alex felt the blood in his veins turn to ice, as he heard his voice. Dreading looking to the doorway, where public enemy number one was most likely making his mark, before biting the bullet and facing the doorway, where sure enough, Reborn was lounging, smirk pasted on his face as he waltzed around dressed up with a pair of shorts, a fake beard and a…elephant?

"What poor elephant did you kill to stick it's head on your ugly mug"

"Why so aggressive today, Baka-Alex? Are you on your period?"

"Wha-What? How is that even a thing? I'm male!"

"You certainly don't look it. Get a haircut and maybe you will look like the boy you claim to be."

"The day I get a haircut is the day you stop being an idiotic brat! You're worse than Gokudera is! I'm certain that one day you're gonna fall over and your ego-inflated head will make it impossible for you to get up"

"Calm down, everyone here thinks you're pretty, so shut up so we can move on." Alex didn't have anything to say to that, too confused by the back-handed compliment to create a witty retort. Despite being oblivious, Ryohei stepped up, and continued the conversation in his stead.

"Who are you?" Ryohei asked, the confused tilt of his head emphasising the purpose of the question.

"Pao. I'm Elder Pao Pao, master fighter. I'm here to watch the fight between the new member and the head of the club… Pao," He informed, adding an extra 'Pao' for emphasis. Ryohei lit up like the sun, cheering enthusiastically at a so-called professional watching his match. All Alex could do was stand there and shake his head, watching as the situation degenerated even further. Before Alex could interject with how this was a really bad idea, more people made their way inside, familiar faces like Yamamoto and Bianchi walking inside followed by not so familiar faces. Eying the literally sparkling girl that trailed behind, he made his way over to the new-comers, ignoring the foreboding feeling that he felt when he left Ryohei talking with Reborn, moving over to introduce himself to the pig-tailed girl.

"Hello, my name is Ivy Alex, but as I'm from the U.K I prefer to be called Alex Ivy. Who are you?" He asked, gentle smile pasted on his face in an almost Nana fashion. Watching as the sparkles increased ten-fold, it seemed that she could almost match up to Kyoko and Tsuna on the 'Sparkle Meter', as she started to jump up and down on the spot.

"Ha-hi~ Haru's name is Haru. Miura Haru, to be exact. Happy to meet you." She sing-songed happily, glad to talk with someone new. They soon got to talking, bringing Yamamoto into the conversation, as they started to talk about what the other likes and how they met Tsuna.

"Ha-hi, he saved me, so I'll become a mafia wife for him! I like cosplay." Yamamoto just laughed at the proclamation with his usual light-heartedness; whilst Alex just stared at her as if she was a very strange being who is…well, strange.

"Maa, maa – I met him during volleyball~ He was pretty good, so I joined him in his mafia game. I like baseball." The bemused expression quickly left Haru, and met Yamamoto's happy face with all the force of a battering ram.

"Seriously? I live with the guy. First time I met him I asked which type of manga he preferred. Sadly, I still don't have an answer to that… I'll have to ask him again when I get the chance." He finished off, ending the current train in the conversation. It soon switched to other random things that they do, and it soon felt like they were always friends, laughing and joking with each other (well, Yamamoto and Haru were, whilst Alex tried to keep up between the 'ha-hi' and the laughter) whilst Bianchi joined in. Disentangling himself from the group, he made his way back over to Ryohei, who was avidly listening to something that Reborn was saying. Hoping that it was fighting technique or something, he crouched down next to the cross-legged Ryohei, hoping to gain something from the conversation. Reborn just continued his lecture, smirking at the fact that the volatile agent was listening next to him, whilst Ryohei smiled brightly at him for being in the conversation, turning back to continue listening in to it.

Sadly, Reborn had to stop his strangely informative lecture, as the man of the hour walked into the club. Tsuna looked timid, stepping into the room cautiously, as if scared that if he made a wrong step the world itself will rise up and eat him whole. Alex watched as his eyes widened at seeing everyone here, and easily spotted that he was about to run. Mentally urging him to run away and don't look back, he watched in despair as Ryohei spotted him, telling him all about what was going on before Alex could save him from the inevitable fight. Before he could intervene even further, Bianchi jumped in, fitting Tsuna for a boxing battle and ushering him into the ring, ignoring his protests. Keeping his mouth shut, he could only watch with pity as Tsuna got trashed around by the repeated jabs thrown by Ryohei, and winced as he got punished by a dangerous uppercut. Closing his eyes, Alex refused to watch Tsuna get pummelled by Ryohei, staying uncharacteristically silent as the rest cheered for Tsuna.

Hearing Reborn say something about the 'Dying Will Bullet', he cracked open his eyes, expecting to see Tsuna turn the tides with his 'Dying Will' state. However, he wasn't prepared for the sight of Ryohei with a golden flame roaring on his forehead, staring at Tsuna in a way that made his stomach cringe. He wanted to continue the fight, and it looked as if he was rearing to go, even stronger than before. Alex was about to leave the room, as he really didn't need to see Tsuna get destroyed even further, before Reborn evened the score by shooting Tsuna with a bullet of his own. He felt his eyes widen in disbelief, as Tsuna somehow managed to turn the fight with one solid hit, sending Ryohei rocketing out the ring in a blur. Rushing to the knocked over boy, he helped him up, exasperated when Ryohei even further commented on liking him. Rolling his eyes, they congratulated Tsuna on his surprise victory, before watching them leave the room. Or would have, if they weren't interrupted by the Karate Club rude interference. Ready to annihilate them for returning, Alex was about to give them a piece of his mind, before realising that it was pointless sparing it on them.

"Sasagawa, we're here for a rematch! If we win we get Kyoko as our manager!" The tall one cried, before an even larger ape made his way into the room, dragging a confused Kyoko into the room. The world itself seemed to stand still, as the two groups stared at each-other. Team Sasagawa was ready to obliterate the Karate club for even thinking they could take Kyoko for their group. With the signal from Reborn, they moved out, taking on members to save her. Letting his anger take control, Alex pulled out his sword and shield, smacking the fools around, ignoring the pained whimpers as the shield dug into their stomachs. Twisting it, he yanked it out, twirling on his feet to smack another on the head, knocking him clean unconscious. Stepping away from the vermin, he watched with glee as Ryohei did an amazing punch, sending the large ape flying out the room. Miniature explosions rocked the room, as somehow Gokudera had managed to sneak into the room and blow some idiots up. Seeing his club be wrecked by the team, the leader of the karate club was dragging Kyoko away. Ready to give chase, he was pre-empted by Tsuna, who managed to dodge the initial punch and defeat the guy in one strike.

"The family is stronger for this." Reborn announced, watching the thoroughly beaten team scurry out of the room.

"Family? What are you talking about?" Ryohei asked, clueless about what is going on, whilst Reborn turned to the tired Tsuna, saying something about him being useful for the family. Seeing where this is going, Alex just leaned on Ryohei; half hoping that he would make the right choice and join, and other half wishing for him to stay out of it.

"How about joining Tsuna's Famiglia? He needs someone like you."

"Follow extreme people like Tsuna? Sure, I'm in."

"With that settled, we'll leave then." And with that, the rest of them left the room, following Tsuna and Reborn out of the room and off home. Soon, they were alone again, a state of being that they often found each-other in. Alex sighed, tired, and sat down on a nearby bench that was left bare. He was followed by Ryohei, who rather than sitting next to him, instead lay down on top of it, ready to go to sleep.

"Alex, I'm tired, goodnight" With that as his final words for the day, he promptly fell asleep, snoozing heavily whilst using Alex's lap as a pillow.

"Goodnight Ryohei, sleep tight."

It wasn't long before Alex joined him, snoozing lightly, using the wall as a balance.

* * *

_**Dear Sexy (Too Tired D; )**_

_**Date: IDK Objectives: Sleep, then start writing in the morning.**_

_**This is a placeholder for the morning. Ohh boy it's gonna be a long one, that's for sure.**_

_**So until tomorrow morning, goodnight~**_

_**Ciao (for now~)**_

* * *

_**Chapter 10, FIN~**_

_**OMG I'M SO SORRY PEOPLEZ! I JUST LOST MY MOTIVATION FOR THIS STORY AND COULDN'T TYPE OUT THE NEXT CHAPTER! I lost it as I didn't really think anyone enjoyed this story, and was contemplating taking the story down, and to be honest it was only because of Glasses and Spectacles that I even kept it up. And this is why reviews are important lol, they keep writers motivated xD**_

_**Anyway, so stuff happened today. We realised that I'm bad at fight scenes, Alex's weapons got an upgrade pokemon style, Karate Kid mark 2 was a thing and mission time. If you are still confused about how the flames were a thing, it was all Nana. She already knew what type of flame Alex had as she was able to link it to the previous wielder of the sword and shield, who had lightning flames so she was able to weave an illusion to bring out his flames, without it having the weird Dying Will single-mindedness lol. She also controlled it from afar, and was pretty much the conscious of the flame lol.**_

_**Also, Tomorrow is going to have the mother of all journal entries. That will be fun to write, especially since it will be the first thing I type up lol. I am thinking around 2000 words+ on it lol. WOO SNARKY TIME!**_

_**Anyway, review corner, and we have two to do today~**_

_**Akatsuki Neko Stalker: Hello again, hope you liked this chapter as well~ OMG It's real, it's just that no one else knows that dynamite tennis is a thing now. DYNAMITE TENNIS FOR THE OLYMPICS 2016 :D. Hopefully it will be a thing. One day. Lol the 'G.T.F' are the Guardian Task Force, and are essentially the secret dudes in the Vongola who clean up after the guardians, when Nono wants things to be cleared up they move in and fix everything, so they are guardian back-up~ He didn't play dead, he slapped that bear in the face :D. Yes, that is Alex's signature move at the moment. Every fight he has ever won is because of that back-hand with the shield. It's the best move ever. Who needs Zero Point Breakthrough when you have an epic slap to the face? Thanks for the compliment, and I hope I'll see you review again :D.**_

_**phoenixfyre2552: HELLO, THANKS FOR REVIEWING~ Hope you liked this chapter~ Is your brain being mush a good thing or a bad thing lol? I honestly don't know. Nana is the biggest badass I the world, but she'll still be like how she is on the show, so she'll only go absolutely BAMF mode when no one else is around. I gave her Mist flames to compliment this, as she is constantly hiding her personality from everyone else, as no one knows her true blue personality~ It's much the same with characters like that, you don't know if that is there true personality or not. Sometimes you have to deviate from canon to build up characters, and it can either go right or wrong, so I'm glad you're happy with how it's going. Nana is in the same group as Alexander, who gave Alex the weapon, so they are in contact with each-other. Alexander most likely told Nana straight away, as she was friends with the previous owner of the weapon. They're a secret sect of the Vongola that only Nono and Reborn know about, but by the time you read this you obviously know that that is the case~ Alex was not actually in direct control of his flames, it was Nana and her dodgy illusions that made the flame work. She already knows about the flame he wields from Alexander, when he said 'Your Dying Will matches it" - inferring that the previous wielder has the same flame as him - ergo, Nana knows his flames so she can put it into an illusion and paste it onto him. The power of illusions make my head go 'what' sometimes, considering that if you take into account there power they can easily be the most powerful people in the show. Mist flames are OP xD. Yup, brief meetings with Haru aside, last chapter was set when Haru was introduced, as I vaguely glossed over her in like a small line lol. Today had three in one, 5, 6 and 7, so stuff happened. We get to see his thoughts on the characters in thee next diary entry, which will be the next chapter lol. 'm glad you like there reactions, I like writing them, as it will probably be a while until the two get into a relationship. Like, during the future arc or something. But don't hold me to that. The Earth Flames are Shimon exclusive, so if you have them you have to be apart of the Shimon - same with Night flames, as you have to be apart of the Vindice to have them in a believable manner. So they were out of the question. Snow flames don't exist, as they were disguised Sky flames (and that game wasn't even canon to begin with), so they are out of the question as well. And I'm happy you like the Kyoko/Alex friend moments. I'm certain that she ships Ryohei/Alex. I would lol. And don't worry, I always re-read chapters to see if there is any unanswered bits that aren't answered later in the plot, and if they are small, write them in, and large get rid off it entirely (unless it's interesting, then I add it to the story for a bit of lolwut reminiscing for Alex, like how did this happen? moments for him.) If you want, PM me the plot hole and I'll try and help you work around it. Unless you've already moved around it... If you have then that's good xD. ANyway, I hope that answers your questions, and I hope you review again for this chapter :D.**_

_****__**Woo, that's done~ So until next time, thanks to everyone that reviewed the previous chapter, and I hope that you'll do so again on this chapter, along with the people who didn't. So thank you everyone that reviewed/favourite/followed/stalked/read/enjoyed/e tc/etc the story, and I hope you are happy with this chapter :D. If you are, review, it is my motivation xD.**_

_****__**So until next time, adios~**_


	11. Chapter 11

_Why, in the name of all that is holy, are they even a thing? I mean, seriously, why on Earth are they in my room at five in the morning? I thought that children were supposed to despise being up at this time, or are these just strange pseudo-children that came from the same group as Reborn? Curious. I'll need to gather more data on them, but how to do that… _Alex's mind rattled off, almost like it was reading off an invisible checklist, whilst his body was still trying to evacuate the warzone that was his room. The criminals in question were children, and as a result his mind couldn't help but to automatically ally them with Reborn, considering they were half trashing his room in search of something that was yet to be named. Seeing them rifle through the 'Box of Happy Endings', Alex decided that enough was enough, stealthily escaping the villainous clutches of his duvet and creeping up behind the two miscreants, pausing slightly when they seemed to of found what they were looking for. Seeing them stop rummaging through his things, he also paused, looming over their shoulder and eying what they were after. Beneath the cow-child's greedy eyes was the one object that he didn't want anyone to know about.

His 'Sexy' – the journal that he has literally poured his heart and soul into.

Before the devious duo could reach out for the book, Alex lashed out, clamping his hands in a vice-like grip on the collars of the two intruders. Bemusement dancing in viridian eyes, he stalked out of his room with the two in hand, making his way over to Tsuna's room, opening the door in a uncharacteristic show of dexterity. Lifting his foot and hooking it around the door-handle, he pushed down on it until he heard a soft click, pulling it outwards to allow them entry. Stepping into the dark room, he manoeuvred his body carefully, barely dodging the rubbish littering the floor, barely noticing them in the dark – having to use the barely coherent light from the windows to see there outline. Making his way over to the bed in the corner, he was surprised to see that there was grenades dotting the room, hanging by their pins on an intricate spider web made of wire. He couldn't help but bless Nana for her illusory powers; for without them he was sure that there wouldn't be a house to return to after school – the amount of explosions that occurred on an _hourly_ basis would have completely totalled the house without them there to fix it back up. Reaching the bed at last, he dropped the two children in the bed there, tucking them back in to bed and telling them to go back to sleep.

Making sure they were fast asleep once more, he made his way back out the room, leaving the room in a way that would make people think that he was never there. With a soft smile on his face, he made his way back to his own room, getting ready for school for the day. Setting his scarlet bag on the table he filled it to the brim with stuff he needed for the day, making especially sure to take the violated box with him just in case the children thought they could return and have a second crack at infiltrating his room and taking the journal. He really didn't need that added on to his problems, what with the fact that he has to juggle three separate missions on his very first day of being a part of the 'G.T.F', and the fact he has to tutor six separate kids all the while, all of which had different strengths and weaknesses. Filling his bag with the revision notes and old papers that he had managed to scrounge up off the internet, he deemed his stuff ready, taking the now full school bag downstairs as he went to grab everything else he needed. Taking out the confectionary he stashed away underneath the vegetables, to hide it from Lambo's impeccable (and annoying) sweet-based radar. Packing that away, he dashed out of the front door, fully aware of the state he was in. Even if he was currently running to school in his pyjamas, no-one else was around, so it was perfectly okay.

Dashing through back-alleys like he had gone down them many times before, he reached the proud walls of Namimori Middle in record time, climbing over the gates like they weren't even there. Mentally praising himself for a feat that he would never have been able to do a few weeks ago, he continued on, ignoring the malevolent aura the school grounds emitted when there was absolutely no one around. Making his way to the front door he slipped in, coming face to face with the deserted reception room, sneaking behind the desk to get a closer look at just what the evil woman did in her spare time. Normally he would have just ignored it, but considering he was a part of the mafia now, he may as well fit the bill and do some wrong-doings whilst he had the chance. You never know, it may give him some useful information on the committee that he could use for later. Typing in the password that the receptionist had oh-so-kindly left on a sticky note attached to the monitor, he came face-to-face with a very interesting desktop image, deciding to ignore the vanity the woman shows in order to look through the documents on the system.

Skipping past the boring options, such as the folders filled with the individual classes, he scanned through the less generic folders, before coming to a stop on two in particular. One folder titled 'Boxing Club', and the other titled 'Disciplinary Committee' – whom he practically leapt at, opening the two folders instantly. Printing the documents in both folders, he opened up the ones on file for the Disciplinary Committee, immediately using 'Ctrl-F' to find Hibari Kyoya. Drinking in all the information on file, which was less than spectacular to be honest, he took a direct interest in the section that had information on the prefect's habits. It seemed that, like all other humans, he was a creature of habit, and followed the exact same pattern day-in and day-out, even coming to school on days that the school itself was shut, breaking in if he had to – prompting the grounds manager (who was fired a few years ago, quitting only a scant three days after the violent boy's arrival) to give him a key after he broke a hole directly through the gates, knocking them clear off their hinges. Ever since, he has become the number one power in the school, and that influence soon spread throughout the town, him becoming the almost tyrant of Namimori, a role that he fit perfectly as he 'bit' everyone who disrupted the peace to 'death'.

Filing the pieces of paper away into his bag, he quickly stood up, logging out of the computer and switching it off, hoping that no one saw him go on the computer. Sprinting out the room and down the nearby hallway, he charged head first into a wall of seeming steel. Blinking the dizziness out of his eyes, he tried to focus his eyes on what exactly he ran into, and why it was even in his way in the first place. Focusing his eyes on the blurry object, it returned to perfect clarity at an abnormally fast rate, as if even it was afraid of the response it would bring if it halted. Hibari Kyoya, Disciplinary Committee leader, was staring down at the intruder with a glare that could freeze fire in its tracks, and was doing it's very best to cause Alex to implode. Suddenly feeling as if he should be afraid, Alex jumped back to his feet, before quickly back-pedaling as the figure turned into the one person he wanted to meet the least. Putting his hand inside his bag with one hand, he moved the other to point threateningly (_If that was even possible, _his mind chimed in sarcastically) at Hibari, who looked both amused and enraged at the ginger haired agent.

"Female herbivore…what are you doing inside school at this time?" Gulping, Alex tightened his grip around the handle of his shield, ready to raise it up in a flash if he makes a move in his direction. Not letting it slack, he placed his bag on the ground, reaching in with his other hand to grab a hold of his blade, watching in trepidation as his current foe equipped his fangs and get into his battle position. Sensing that there was no escape, he might as well give him a run for his money, and ran back the way he came – he was in no position to fight anyone at the moment, considering just what he was carrying with him. It may have an impact on the plan that he oh-so-dearly wished to execute, as it may violate the cargo. The plan, which he prepared after crashing down on his bed to sleep, involved a party being set up in the reception room for the people that he was tutoring to feel relaxed in, so that he could tutor them without them feeling uncomfortable in. The people that he knows he isn't worried about – it is the ones that he hasn't come into contact with that he was worried for. If he got some extra information then it would be even better. At the very least, he won't be hungry, so that is a plus. Dashing around the corner, he reached the outside of the room, hearing the heavy foot-falls of the person currently after him. Jumping in the open doorway, he crashed the double doors together, flipping the lock just before the carnivore managed to catch him.

Dragging his eyes around the room, he couldn't help but notice that it looked very different than what the teachers described it as. Gone was the plain décor, and in its place was many different couches, all facing towards a large desk covered in neat bundles of paper work. Snagging the very top piece, he sucked it all in, before dismissing it after finding out that it was only a bill that the Head teacher, one Mr Fujimoto, had sent to Hibari to sign. Placing it back down, he was about to start setting up for the lesson when he realised the implications of that slip of paper. If Mr Fujimoto, a generally stern and strict man looked for someone like _Hibari Kyoya_ for allowance for a simple bill, and that said bill was in this room… then that means! Quickly dropping the sheet, he leapt behind the desk just as the door was sent flying off its hinges, crashing harshly against the desk he was using as cover, sending sheets of paper flying throughout the room. Hearing the beast stalk into its lair, he gulped, before throwing caution to the wind, before soon enough joining it. Now wasn't the time for words – if he wanted to live, then he had to get out of the school, and pronto, as if he faltered for even a second then he would actually be killed this time.

Flipping the desk, now that it was light enough for someone like him to lift, he dashed for the open window, noticing it for the bastion of hope that it really truly was at the moment. Sadly for Alex, however, he failed to factor in the lengths that a truly angered Hibari would go through to punish someone who had broken the rules, as a result easily being intercepted by the angry boy, who struck at him with angry blows, trying to do as much damage to the boy as possible. With desperation giving him strength, Alex managed to block the first strike, growing gleeful at the fact that Hibari seemed shocked at the lack of a reaction the blow caused. Barely ducking the second tonfa, he had unfortunately left himself open to an attack, which was capitalised on as Hibari smacked the tonfa right over his head leaving him dazed and confused on the floor. Finishing him off, Hibari smacked him once more in the face, knocking him clean unconscious on the floor. Leaving him in an undignified heap on the floor, surrounded by paper, and his own weapons.

Not even bothering to tidy it up, Hibari walked towards one of his couches, before deciding to take a nap.

If Alex was awake he would be raging at the audacity of the dismissal.

* * *

Three hours later, Alex woke up to a pristine room, and had a brief thought that maybe that blow had killed him and he was now currently in heaven.

But then the pain hit, and he realised that no, he wasn't dead, and yes, he was currently in a tonne of pain. Using the arm of a nearby couch as support, he dragged himself up-right before stabilising himself. Taking a deep breath to lessen the aching in his head, he felt around up there, hoping to everything that there wasn't a bruise up there, before having his hopes brutally crushed as he tenderly prodded a bruise on his forehead. Looking around for his bag, he tried checking the couches, the desks and even the floor, before it came up empty. Seeing as he was currently all on his own, and that Hibari had vanished, it didn't take a genius to figure out just what had happened. The pain had been drowned out by an overwhelming urge to _destroy_ that meddling prefect for what he had done. It seems that he had waltzed out of the room, after oh-so-rudely knocking him unconscious, with his stuff – taking it to who-knows-where. Leaving him with only his sword and shield to get them back, whilst he was still decked out in his pyjamas – Hibari Kyoya will die today, this he swears. Piecing together his resolve, he made his way over to the door, eyes shut with contempt as he plotted Hibari's death.

Reaching the door, he tilted his head in confusion, eying the post-it note that was most likely hastily stuck on the door, if the fact that it was skewed was any indication. Ripping it off the wall, he glared harshly down at the innocent slip of paper, burning the words pasted on it into his memory, hoping that one day he might meet this 'Tetsuya Kusakabe' – if only to stab him. Seeing as there literally was no other option for him at the moment but to follow this twisted game, he scrounged up his nerves, opening the inconspicuous box sitting innocently on the edge of the couch. Using his blade as a box-cutter, he cut through the tape binding the cardboard together, opening the box up and pulling out the cargo it held within. The Namimori Middle's female uniform lay spread out on the couch, along with all the other necessities you would need to be a girl in school. Swallowing his pride, he traded the pyjamas he was currently wearing for the school uniform, not looking too happy about it all. After he was completely dressed, he allowed the resentment that he was currently feeling to fester inside, making the torture scenes playing inside his head that much more gruesome.

Stepping out of the reception room with purpose, he took note of the fact that it had just gone nine – if that schedule he'd seen this morning had been correct, Hibari would be at the roof at this time. Striding past the open-doors of the classrooms, he pointedly ignored the many murmurs he heard from them, glaring down any teacher that tried to get in his way, raising his Xiphos threateningly at the ones who tried. Suffice to say, they quickly relented in face of an angry Alex with a weapon. Storming up the stairs, he quickly rushed past the classroom that held Tsuna and his group, but not before Kyoko caught sight of him, who only smiled mysteriously at the current boy's attire, as she turned back to talking to another girl who he hadn't met. Bowling Gokudera over, he didn't even stop to say sorry, instead favouring the nearby stairs – anything to get his stuff back sooner. Reaching the second set of stairs, he charged up them, ready to get to the devil's playground. Reaching the apex of the stairs, he kicked down the doors; ready to maim the unfortunate individual who had took his stuff. Panting from having to run in heels, he recovered just enough to stare in rage at the individual who was lazing around with his stuff, eating the sweets* that he had tried so hard to safe like they were going to out of style.

"Hibari Kyoya… you die, today! This is the last straw you budget vampire. First of all, you get your little band of delinquents to scurry around town like the pests they are, attacking innocent children for no apparent reason other than to serve your weird sadomasochistic fetish, which by the way is just weird for someone like you to have, under the guise of keeping the 'order' of this otherwise peaceful little town. Well newsflash, you're causing more harm than good with your pathetic excuses, and to be honest Namimori would be better off as a whole without you and your band of freaks. So please, Dracula, go back to your dusty old cob-web infested coffin – I'm sure no one would miss you!" Panting after that impressive rant, he stood tall and proud, unleashing all that festering rage in a massive explosion, ire burning ferociously, restrained in viridian irises. Throughout it all, Hibari remained stoic; not even listening to the angry rant originating from the burning red-head, his attention instead on something else that caught his eye. Stepping up from his relaxed slouch (that seemed to somehow be dignified – increasing Alex's anger ten-fold at how casual he was being over the entire incident), he made his way over to the edge, peering over the gates, ice glinting in his eyes as he locked on to what he wanted. Stepping back a tiny it, he jumped over the edge, intent on reaching what had grabbed his attention.

"Oh my go… Don't do it, you have so much to live for! I mean, sure, you're an antagonistic, rage-filled boy but there is counselling for things like that!" Alex cried out, misinterpreting entirely why Hibari was about to jump of the roof, thinking he was going to jump to his death. Running after him, trying to save the prefect from the metaphorical abyss, he was a tad bit too late for him to be saved. Watching the prefect, who now really did look like a vampire now that he was flying through the air, land outside the school gates, he realised that he wasn't trying to commit suicide, and that he really was just trying to reach an incident that was going on outside the school gates. It seemed like some members of the 'Disciplinary' Committee were hassling Natsu again, and Hibari was either going down there to help him or harm him. Seeing this as a golden opportunity to actually get some answers for once about what was going on. Quickly following the agile carnivore, he realised that girls seemed to have a tonne of problems when wearing skirts, as he had to hold down the skirt to keep anyone from getting an eyeful. Landing in a crouch, he mentally praised himself for a job well done, before registering what was going on around him.

It was a massacre. There was once twenty men assaulting that one boy, and they were all being taken down single-handedly by Kyoya. Natsu had quickly escaped from the carnage, rushing towards the nearest safe person – in this case, Alex. Smiling in order to calm the scared boy down, who was babbling something about 'pretty lady' and 'scary-pointy men'. Smiling even wider at the description of Hibari, who was still not the hook from before, he calmly told the boy to stand back and let the adults handle it. Ushering him off to the side of the battlefield, it seemed more and more of the delinquents were coming, coming out of the woodworks like cockroaches. Watching some of the ones that had been beat down get back up again, he was contemplating whether or not he should join in, before his answer was decided for him as the rejects charged at him. Casually backhanding the nearest one with his shield, he roundhouse kicked another one in the face, knocking him to the floor. Finishing Goon #2 by stomping on his stomach, leaving him to wheeze pitifully on the floor, he kicked a third in his unmentionables, leaving him in a whimpering heap on the floor. Using the beaten minion as a vault, he got enough height to acquaint another foe's face to the heel of his boots, watching in satisfaction as he rode him to the ground.

_Well, this is surprisingly fun… I suddenly see why Ryohei and Hibari love this so much! It's so much fun watching them… BRAIN STOP! I don't need to be thinking like him at a time like this, in case I gain some of that sadistic vampire's weird fetishes! _Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Alex took his mind away from the worrying thoughts, instead focussing on the current situation. It seemed there was sixteen left, if his brain was actually right with maths for once, leaving eight to both Hibari and himself. About to tell Hibari the plan, he was particularly annoyed to find that he had already started to beat down the remaining stragglers with unmatched ruthlessness. _He must be upset about them betraying them… I wonder if he'll cut off a finger or something. Isn't that what the mafia do, anyway? _Shrugging, he left the angry teen to it, making his way back over to the victim of the incident, checking to see if Natsu was okay after all of it was said and done. Spotting no bruises, or oddly enough any marks at all, he asked him once more if he was okay, and when he got an affirmative he sighed in relief.

"So who is that fighting with them now? Is he another one of your super-hero friends, Pretty Lady? I didn't know that you had friends like him, and what happened to Extreme Boxer? Isn't he like your boyfriend or something?" Natsu fired off question after question, bowling Alex over with the absurdity of half of them. First off, him and Hibari friends? Laughable. Secondly Hibari being a super-hero? He's more like the main villain. And finally, Alex and Ryohei being a couple? His mind had to reboot from the shock of that statement. Registering the expectant gaze of his charge, he managed to scramble together a suitable response, which was to sputter out half-formed words in some weird parody of a sugar-high Ryohei. Leading him into the front of the school, and in the general direction of the reception room, so that they could sit down and have a proper discussion about what had just transpired. Granted, he was talking to a child, and unless he turned into a child genius than the up-coming conversation was going to be seriously awkward and nearly useless. Sighing in dismay, he led the talkative child all the way to the reception room, telling him to wait whilst he went up to the roof to grab his stuff.

On his way up to grab his bag, he was intercepted by a few hooligans who had been vandalising the school, and had taken up residence at the bottom of the staircase leading up to the roof. Completely unimpressed by their rendition of flirting, he kindly told them to 'shove off before a blade gets shoved up where the sun doesn't shine'. They backed off at that point, preferring to save themselves from his wrath, backing away from the angry teen who only thanked them before making his way up the staircase, gleefully anticipating the return of his bag. Kicking the door to the roof down, charging towards the lonely bag like a man possessed, reaching it in record time, checking inside to see if anything else was violated by the prefect. Relieved, the Brit smirked triumphantly, happy that the only casualty of war was the chocolate, before continue to search through the bag to try and find the spare uniform. Keyword in that sentence being 'try', as it quickly became apparent that, even if he put it in there in the morning, it certainly wasn't there now – and it was apparent who took it out of there.

Hibari Kyoya. A soon to be maimed boy with a superiority complex the size of Europe.

Scowling, a facial expression he seemed to be doing a lot when Hibari was involved, he made his way back over to the stairs, fully prepared to go all-out on Hibari Kyoya. Before it was only child's play, insults that he used against him weren't that imaginative, but if he truly wanted to embarrass Alex Ivy, then Hibari better prepare himself. Plan set, he descended the stairs, throwing a dismissive glance at the hoodlums from before, who have decided to not try their luck a second time in trying to flirt with him. Approaching his classroom with purpose, he knocked on the closed door, placing his weapon down outside, just out of view of the students inside so no one could get alarmed about it. Hearing the cry of 'come in', he strode in to the room, looking as if he owned it – even if he was currently in the female school uniform. Mrs Heartoak was currently teaching Analysis, and was having a field day in her head with things to say to him, if her mischievous glances at his attire were anything to go by. Just giving her a pleading look, he was happy she didn't say anything about who he was – hopefully the students would be stupid enough to relate the new-comer to their classmate Alex. Explaining the situation to her in hushed whispers, she held a shark-like grin on her face as he told her why he was currently in the wrong school uniform. Giving him a brief nod in acceptance, she scribbled a note that would excuse him from all lessons.

Reading it, he didn't know whether or not to be amused by the fact that all it said was 'Hibari', before deciding to land on a wry grin. Thanking her for it, which she only replied with a wink (that oddly enough went unnoticed by the rest of the class, much to Alex's bemusement), he made his way over to the sleeping Ryohei's desk. Laughing at his state, he grabbed the boy's wrist as he dragged him up, whilst Mrs Heartoak did her best to distract the class. Ignoring the gossiping girls behind them, he took the just woken up Ryohei and made him follow him to the reception room. In an ideal world, they would make it there before he realised just what Alex was wearing, and they would get all the answers that he could ever want out of Natsu – the generic happy ending scenario. But sadly for Alex, this was not the case, as Ryohei was a deceptively easy riser, so he quickly became cognizant enough to note that he was currently in a female school uniform, and promptly burst into mad cackles on the floor. Not amused in the slightest, Alex just stared at the mad boxer, who was trying to choke out something, before giving up and just saying 'Extreme'.

"Ryohei, before you even say something redundant, yes I am in a female uniform, and no it isn't willing. I am also sure that I am of the male gender, and no, you cannot check, so don't even bother asking. It was all Hibari's fault, and he still thinks I am just flat-chested, which is pretty annoying. I mean you would think with how many people are in this town you'd think one would know that I'm male. Is that everything? Because I'm sure that is everything you could ever ask. And calm down now before I use my shield and knock you unconscious." Alex rattled off, impressively dragging the still laughing Ryohei down the stairs, moving him towards the reception room, where Natsu was currently waiting for him to return. Pushing Ryohei through the doorway, he had finally calmed down, letting him actually put his words into some semblance of coherency. Entering the room himself, he sat down, smiling briefly at Natsu before letting Ryohei get out his question.

"Alex… Why are we here? And why is the extreme kid we save here too? Did you save him again, and is that why you are in the female school uniform? I missed you today you know." Ryohei shouted, completely confused as to why he was roused from his sleep by Alex, who just sat there and nodded at the appropriate times. The room fell into a short, but comfortable silence as Alex tried to form an appropriate response to his questions. Feeling like he managed to make one, he opened his mouth to answer his partner, but was rudely interrupted by Hibari, who entered the room. Deciding to ignore him for now, he looked at Ryohei to continue their previous conversation.

"Ryohei, I am in the school uniform because somebody, not naming any names, rudely knocked me unconscious and left me on the floor in my pyjamas, and then proceeded to take my stuff. He then let his minion leave a post-it note saying that I had to wear the school uniform as it was against the rules to wear the opposite gender's uniform, even if I am male, which is absurd in my personal opinion – I'm sure there are some girls here that would love to wear pants instead of short skirts. And Natsu-chan is here because he was being assaulted by some Disciplinary Committee rejects. Dracula-baka and I saved him, which I'm confused about – considering they were a part of the DC and all. And Ryohei, I missed you too, it's why I went to pick you up and take you out of class. After this, let's go back to yours or something~" He finished off, smiling even wider, even if he personally wasn't sure that Ryohei understood all of his spiel, but was glad to see him happy as it drew to a close. Glad to have some closure, Ryohei reclined on the couch that Alex was sitting on, deciding to catch some more 'zs'. Rolling his eyes Alex stared in exasperation as his lap was occupied by Ryohei's head, who swiftly fell asleep, despite the fact that he doubted it was the most comfortable thing in the world.

"But you'll miss something important." Alex said, bemused by the whole thing.

"You'll tell me later, though.' He replied, not even skipping a beat or opening an eye, returning to his slumber. Well he was right there. Alex was starting to think that he would tell Ryohei anything, if he asked of course. Anything – whether it be his thoughts, feelings…

Or past.

* * *

_That's a bit confusing, not going to lie._

"So basically, you are next in line to lead a minor mafia family, and those committee members were paid off by the Carcassa family to kill you whilst you had little-to-no protection, because of the fact that you are not in Italy, so there is no guards around? And you are offering us a place in your 'Family' in thanks of protecting you?" He asked, his mind trying to put all the pieces together, watching him nod in agreement. Looking at Hibari, who just glared at him in response, causing him to exhale heavily at the clear threat and make him continue on with his summary. "Guess like I have to carry on then. Well, I can give you an answer right now, and that is that none of us here can join your family –we've all been taken by another one, and we cannot exactly abandon him now. But that does not mean that we won't protect you, as we will still be keeping you safe – and don't worry about paying us, we'll use it as practice." Alex smiled reassuringly at the disheartened child, winking at the kid playfully. In thanks, Natsu glomped the smiling teen, shouting his gratitude for the world to hear. Laughing at the response, and how it seemed to off roused Ryohei from his sleep, he let the child hug him for a little bit longer, relishing the almost constipated look pasted on his face. He didn't need to say anything – his face said it all, and Hibari knew that.

"So we get to be protectors, then? Extreme! I'll protect you with my life, otouto! Just call me onii-san from now on." Ryohei crowed, plucking the child away from the ginger, leaping up high in the air with him, causing the young Mafioso to giggle like the child he was.

"Onii-san, can you marry 'Pretty Lady' so that we can be related?" Alex face-planted at that, caught by the surrealism as he was getting up to insult Hibari, whilst Ryohei just scratched the back of his head in mock-thought, as if he was giving the idea some merit. Picking himself up from the floor a few moments later, Alex couldn't get a word in edge-wise as the conversation just ploughed on without his interference.

"EXTREME IDEA! Then we could be a part of our own little family! 'Extreme Boxer', 'Pretty Lady' and Hibari-san in one big family, knocking down the bad-guys as we aim for Madison square!" Ryohei replied, humouring the kid, whilst Alex's face re-acquainted itself with the floor, leaving him both winded and speechless. Hibari was staying silent throughout all this, showing impressive self-restraint as he refrained from bashing the crowd in front of him.

"So if you two are brother and step-sister… who is Hibari-san?" Natsu pondered, giving Alex the opportunity to strike.

"Hibari is the dog. The really old and lazy one that smells really bad, but is still somehow liked by people." Alex couldn't resist piping up from his place on the floor, blending in a back-handed compliment with an extremely blunt insult, making Natsu degenerate into giggles and Ryohei to chuckle at the comparison. Hibari just grunted, looking remarkably like his comparison as he lazed on his chair, glaring at the group before deeming them unworthy of attention.

"We really are a team… Ohh, I know, you could be like a super-hero group! Onii-san as the physical strength, Hibari as the bad-ass and Alex as the sassy one that insults everyone and acts slightly tsundere but not really!" Natsu rambled, vocabulary becoming ruder and ruder the further he continued speaking, much to Alex's consternation. Ignoring the fact that Ryohei actually seemed to think it was a good idea, he marched up to the child (after getting up from the floor in a dignified manner) and flicked him in the forehead, whilst Ryohei put him down.

"Don't get ahead of yourself now, we aren't vigilantes. And who taught you words like 'bad-ass' anyway? You shouldn't use words like that until you are older." Alex lectured, hands on his hips, completely unimpressed by the child's language as he berated him – even if said child ignored him in favour of watching Ryohei shadow box an invisible enemy, throwing lightning fast punches at empty air. Rolling his eyes at being ignored by his charge, he followed his line of sight, eyebrow raised when he saw that he was following his brand-new 'Onii-san's' every movement. "Anyway, what time is it anyway? I'm certain that it's past lunch but I'm not sure exactly when it is. We really should get you to school now, it is way too late for a kid to get in but it's better late than never." Alex continued on, grabbing Natsu's attention as he checked the time himself.

"Umm, onee-san, sorry to burst your bubble but… it's half four…" Natsu trailed off, unsure of how the volatile teen would react to the fact that it wasn't as early as he thought it was, and the fact that he had missed over half the school day. Alex froze, halfway through exiting the room, as Ryohei stilled also, having forgotten that it was still school time.

"Herbivores, it is 6:00. Get out before I bite you to death." Hibari chimed in, monotone reverberating throughout the room. Opening his mouth to say something else, Hibari cut both of the two teens off, Hibari forced them to leave, telling them that they he would escort the child back to his residence. Nodding in acquiescence, Alex nodded, before being dragged out of the room by a hyper Ryohei, saying goodbye to the suddenly scared boy for the both of them, receiving a casual wave in response. Letting himself be forced out of the school, he stayed quiet, letting Ryohei drive the conversation by himself – an art that he had seemed to of perfected to an astonishing degree. Soon enough, with the pace they had set, they had reached the park, which was seemingly abandoned once again – most likely due to the fact that it had reached evening and everyone had gone home to rest.

The sky was burnt orange, clouds dotting the beautiful expanse in an awe-inspiring array of pearly white. A soft breeze danced a slow waltz through the area; picking up fallen leaves and making them join it in its elaborate dance. Just taking the scenery in, it seemed that he never took a moment to just admire the rural settings he was in – he always carried on running forward, focusing on the front and not the sides. Inhaling deeply, he slowly made his way over to the swing set, taking a seat on the ragged saddle of it. Patting the one next to him, he waited for the boxer to sit, before speaking out, dragging his attention to him.

"Ryohei… Do you ever just stop and think about what's around you? Sometimes there just isn't any point in staying still, is there?"

"I don't understand…"

"Maybe it's for the best then. I don't understand either, to be honest."

"Alex, don't worry about it. It is not as if the sun is falling down or something."

"Hmph, or like wrestling a bear."

"…I want to wrestle a bear."

"I'll get you one for your birthday."

"Really?"

Alex's face had a very brief meeting with the cold hard ground at that.

* * *

_**Dear Diary (OMG BITCHEZ AHM BACK!)**_

_**Date(s): 02/05/13 – 03/05/13 (Not that long to be honest, thought it was worse to be perfectly honest~)**_

_**Objectives: The Bear, The Mission and The Child**_

_**PRAISE MAH SKILLZ SEXY! I'M BACK FOR GOOD (well, no, but you get that I am back now, for a bit anyway. Oh god I'm lazy, I can't be bothered to write this, but I must. Sigh. The things I go through for you, you better be happy.**_

_**We'll go through two different things – one short and brief, the other long~ (Tee-Hee LOLSAUCE)**_

_**Brief goes like this: Fought Bear/Got Flamez/Turned Lightning/Mirror shield/First Mission/Hibari Beatdown/SuperHero/Investigators/Ryohei/OMG/I/JUST /REALISED/HE/DIDN'T/DO/A/THING/DINO.**_

_**So yeah. Nana's 'trial' BS was actually me fighting an illusory bear, which I totally owned. I got all lightning-like and slapped the dude in the face, and I'm going to ask her if she can make me a bear to give to Ryohei for his birthday, that will disappear after a while so he can wrestle it. Then, I passed, after my weapon had some crazy explosion happen around it, and evolved into a strangely pretty glass shield thing. It is like a cracked mirror, and it looks fineeeeeeeeeeeee~ Anyway. I passed out after my pain was unblocked, knocking me out due to shock (Nana is a BAMF for being able to block pain). **_

_**Afterwards, I awoke to an empty room, with a letter that basically explained everything and a ring that looks pretty strange. I put it on to open the letter, and I still have it on. You get used to it after a while, to be honest. But I just think that he likes me so he put a ring on me :3. That was strange. I'm going to pretend that was never written. My mission was inside the letter, and I have three different objectives, with Nana as back-up as we are short-staffed at the moment. OBJ 1: Reborn analysis. OBJ 2: Protect Tsuna and OBJ 3: Natsu analysis.**_

_**Reborn ended up recruiting both Ryohei and I, though I was already a part of the 'G.T.F' – he must not know I am a part of it – which is good for me. That was the previous dayz, and we should move on to today, right?**_

_**Hibari and I had a fight~ twice~ And I got my ass pounded both times~ But he is a menace to society, so it's okay – he is trained for fighting. They own the reception room, and he made me wear a school uniform. For girls. GIRLS! How rude can someone be, anyway? Anyway, I hunted him down and was prepared to destroy him, but he jumped off a roof and beat some thugs down. Said thugs were beating on Natsu, so I joined in and kicked some butt. Totally. Then I kidnapped Ryohei and brought him to the reception room so that I can have moral support whilst questioning a child. And wasn't that fun. I'm surprised Hibari didn't just kick us out immediately – guess like even he can be curious about stuff. That brings his emotions to about three now, methinks.**_

_**Yup. He's a mafia child and Hibari, Ryohei and I are looking after him and protecting him. Though I think Hibari is only protecting him to find whom-ever turned his members against him. Which to be honest is pretty impressive, considering his reputation and all within the community. And after that was done, I had one of my rare introspective moments with Ryohei, which happens quite often around him eerily enough, and promised to get him a Bear for his birthday.**_

_**Which leads us to right now - I just got back in from before, and there is an Italian dude downstairs. I don't know who it is, but I think it is Tsuna's dad. Tall, blonde, blue eyes – has a turtle, funnily enough. He just stared at me as I ran up the stairs. I may talk to him later. Maybe. If I really want to. So I doubt it. I may go sleep early today; I think the guy is staying round. He ain't sleeping in my room, and I don't even know where Bianchi/CowBoy/Dumpling girl who came round yesterday and now lives here sleep. Seriously.**_

_**So yeah, I'm off now, cya~**_

_**Signed Alex (IMMA-SURVIVAH-IMMA-MAKE-YA-NAA-NAAA-NAAA-NAAA~) Ivy, Agent Extraordinaire.**_

_**PS: Gotta do something nice for Ryohei. Soon. Tomorrow~.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 11, Fin~**_

_**OMG, THINGS ARE A THING! Before I even talk about anything, Just thought I'll tell you about why my updates are so far apart - and that is because I am getting prepped for college, which starts next week. So yeah. we'll be having a 1-2 week update schedule lol, as College is an extremely important part of my life, so fanfiction will be taking a back-seat for revision and work and things like that lol. So sorry for not explaining that sooner.**_

_**Anyway. Crossdressing. I didn't describe it in detail because this entire chapter is all Alex's POV lol, so why would he focus on his appearance when he hated being in it? Just use your imagination :D. And Dino was supposed to be in it. He'll be in the next one, promise. The journal was supposed to be longer, but... I wanted to get this out quickly lol.**_

_**Anyway, onto review section~**_

_**zeedmillionmon: Hello, thanks for reviewing :D, glad to see a new-comer~. Thanks for the encouragement, it means a lot lol, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I hope to hear off you again :D.**_

_**AxLxS: Hiya, thank you for reading and reviewing~. It was a confidence issue to be honest, and it affected my work and sapped my energy. It just makes you realise how important reviews are to authors, as it's one thing to see thatpeople read it but it is another thing entirely if they share there thoughts on it. It makes it all worth it if you get reviews lol, cause it's like a pat on the back or something. I'll hold you to that offer if I ever need it, so don't be surprised to get a PM off me about it :D. So yeah, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you'll review again :D.**_

_**Akatsuki's Neko Stalker: Hiya again (I see this becoming a thing, an often thing lol), and it's nice to talk with you again~. Maybe if we sign a petition, Dynamite Tennis may be a reality, but probably not - too many explosions of the death variety, sadly. His finisher may be a hit to the head, but at least it is effective, no? It knocks everyone out in one go, amirite? Boomerang shield. Maybe in the future. But I would have to work out the physics of that lol, and it wont be fun. Everything that is like that I am going to try and explain, when they appear lol, so that they make sense xD. I've not even seen Avengers lol, or any films/things like that at all. I am so out of the loop lol. I'll continue to update, but they'll be slow because of college and life. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the new instalment, and I hope to see you review again~**_

_**Glasses and Spectacles: Hey GURLLLL! Two reviews off you lol, but I'm sure I know why lol, the review was released but didn't show up for a day, so you made another one thinking it didn't save. I know this stuff :D (Granted we worked that out PM style. SHHH nobody needs to know that though). I like Nana and she'll be a BAMF in all my stories lol, but I don't like Iemitsu though... It's not gonna be pretty when they meet each-other lol, Alex is going to go rage mode all over him. I think :DDD. Don't worry about it, I understand completely, school is a thing that is pure evil, but has to be done. I have to read both Catcher in the Rye and Wuthering Heights by next Thursday lol, which will be fun, that's for sure. Even if it gives me headaches because it strains my eyes to do so. If only it was on lol, then I would be able to read it. See, this is the problem with fanfiction - it ruins ordinary books for people lol. 'G.T.F' are top secret, not even Iemitsu knows as he is apart of the Vongola, but not really, so he doesn't know the hidden secrets of them - which includes the task force. But from what I know of Iemitsu, I doubt he'd be happy if his oblivious wife turned out to be an agent... Won't that be fun to write~ OMG YOU'VE GIVEN ME AN IDEA. Some dodgy combination for a new character not introduced yet lol. It's a surprise. Maybe. Alex will be getting in more fights, but he's going to lose most of them - but that is because he picks them with Hibari. which isn't the best thing in the world. He at least gets to beat up minions though, so it is sort of okay. I think. He is mostly just touch and go with his weapon lol, slapping people in the face with his shield as he cannot exactly stab them. Unless they are named Hibari, then he can, because Hibari would probably just shrug it off and knock him unconscious xD. So yeah, if he is good it's just that he looks good lol, something he can do well. I might just do a few paragraphs on Alex and the girls bonding, just so I can see relationship building with other people that are not OCs or Ryohei lol. But that is a maybe. The members wont be coming in for some time I don't think, but I'll be dropping hints left and right about it, but they will be really subtle lol. Like subtle as in 'Halcyon, they ain't hints, they are just words', and I'll just hide in the author bunker for safety :D. Natsu is a-part of a really small mafia family that is related to the Vongola, and after hearing of Iemitsu's son, a prominent member of the mafia, being in Namimori and being safe, sent him over for protection. Unfortunately trouble followed him back, and sent members over to kill him. Which led to Team Natsu being formed to protect him (they aren't really called that, but I like to call them that in my head and on my notes that is what they are called.). This is like the first of my own arcs, and will run parallel to the Kokuyo Arc and the Guardian Arc, I believe, unless I change my mind and end it slightly after the Kokuyo Arc. Alex won't have a major part in it, but he'll still be a part of it, so it will mostly focus on Ryohei bonding and shenanigans that I can't release yet because Spoilers. The story wont get too dark but there will be really angsty moments lol in the future. Because you cannot have a fulfilling relationship without angst :D. Looking forward to your stories being finished, cannot wait for Mitobe memory time and Vincent to learn some humility, and that Xanxus OC to teach him humility xD.. So yeah, happy to see you review (as always), and I hope to hear off you again :D. So until you next review/pm or my next review/pm, goodbye, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter~**_

_**And that's a wrap~**_

_**So until next time, thanks to everyone that reviewed the previous chapter, and I hope that you'll do so again on this chapter, along with the people who didn't. So thank you everyone that reviewed/favourite/followed/stalked/read/enjoyed/e tc/etc the story, and I hope you are happy with this chapter :D. If you are, review, it is my motivation xD, so more reviews more posts (I think).**_

_**So until next time, Au Revoir~**_


	12. Chapter 12

Closing the window gently, cutting off the relaxing breeze from the room, Alex sighed, before deciding that maybe he was better off facing the music now as opposed to later. The world outside his residence was blanketed in the night, almost pitch-black in its blanket of shadows. It was just so much more _different _– even if he has been here for a couple of weeks. Compared to Britain, it was as if they weren't on the same planet, they were just too different. Sometimes he forgets that Britain existed, as it paled in comparison to Namimori. It was as if they were two different sides of a coin, polar opposite of the other, each boasting something that the other lacked. Their climates clashed with the other, cold dreary weather the polar opposite of the sunshine that typically bathed Namimori and the general attractions that Britain lacked Japan had as a whole, leaving him with so much to do whilst he was here. The only thing that his previous home had that his current didn't was nostalgia and familiarity. Sometimes, it was easy to fall into old patterns, walking down familiar yet unfamiliar roads, letting his feet guide him down false paths – something that has left him lost on numerous occasions. Sighing, he shook himself out of his sombre thoughts, stepping away from the window and towards his desk.

Grasping his faithful journal, he took a deep breathe, before dropping his memoir into his school bag and hefting it up and over his shoulder. Grabbing a fancy brush, he dragged it through his hair before walking through the door, breezing past Tsuna's room – which was housing their guest for the moment, and was having a 'private' conversation with Tsuna about something, presumably important. Holding onto the banister, he decided it was time for a status update with Nana, as she was his 'back-up' for this mission and now would be a prudent time to keep her up to date with his progress on his mission(s). She may even have some useful information of her own that Alex could capitalise on, or some tips that she could pass on from one senior 'G.T.F' member to a newcomer. Deftly untying a persistent knot in his hair, one of the woes of having long hair, he winced as it came undone, a burning sensation radiating from the roots as they were pulled. Patting the hairs down, he rubbed at the roots, trying to alleviate some of the pressure that was building. Successfully calming it for now, he finished off his style, leaving one eye covered by his hair.

All but dancing through the open doorway, he leapt at the open seat, capitalising on the room's uncharacteristic mess to easily perch himself on relative comfort. Nana saw him coming, 'blessing' him with a secretive smile, before returning to her cooking. Returning the grin with a mischievous grin of his own, he straightened out his posture, sitting straight as he thought on how to start the conversation. He couldn't be too blunt, otherwise people might over-hear, and nobody can know about the 'G.T.F' or their fragile security will be jeopardized, and it wouldn't do to have the group be disbanded. Though he couldn't start out too innocent, otherwise the conversation can quickly derail, especially since Nana was the type to let someone go on and on about something without interrupting. Deciding to leave it for now, he made a mental note to do so later, as the information about Natsu he recovered was absolutely crucial for his partner to hear. Smelling something that was completely unfamiliar to him, he mused that unfamiliarity certainly was the theme of today. It certainly seemed that way, if his mood had anything to do with it.

"What is it that you are cooking today? Normally I have at least some grasp on whatever it is you are making, but today I literally have no clue. The only thing that I can tell is that it involves a large amount of herbs and spices, with a large focus on both rosemary and juniper berries. I don't believe for a second that what you're preparing right now is for breakfast, right?" He finished off, pointing briefly at the ingredients in question before asking the elder agent. She paused for less than a second, before answering promptly. All throughout the woman's explanation, he nodded at the right times, making a mental note on curious points before continuing listening to the explanation. "Maiale al Latte? Isn't that just literally pork in milk? I have never actually had it before, but I am familiar with the process of making it. 350-450 degrees for a few hours, right? Is there going to be curds or are we going to go all out and make it look refined?" He questioned, eagerly getting off his seat and tying a plain apron around his waist, and left his bag on there for later. Shrugging off any protest, he stood at attention, awaiting orders from his senior. He just smirked once she accepted his help, making note of the time before preparing himself. It was six in the morning, so he could afford to spend an hour before escaping the house to go to school.

He didn't know the blond new-comer all that well, only that he was most likely Tsuna's father and Nana's husband, and he didn't want to make his curiosity known to the pair. The least he wanted to do was make a fool of himself in front of them, not after all the work he had put into his appearance and all. "So what first? I'm assuming you want a bit of help preparing the vegetables, considering just who it is we are serving. Reborn is Italian, and the other dude presumably is as well. We need to make this amazing, so let's do this thing!" Cheering enthusiastically, he set to work, preparing the garlic as Nana readied the meat. Slamming the meat in the oven, she joined in preparing the vegetables, but not before pulling out a timer and setting it for 9 minutes. Slicing and dicing the various plants in front of her, she quickly matched Alex's pace with ease, keeping pace with the younger cook as he helped prepare everything to the best of his ability.

"Alex-kun, where did you learn how to cook? Not many boys your age would learn how to cook as opposed to playing sports or something. I mean, teens like you are more likely to prefer things like sports or manga, so why did you pick it?" She asked, taking the opportunity to learn more about the young teen's life, entirely curious as to what made him the way he was. She wanted to learn about him, so why not ask him about his talents? In theory, it seems like a good idea, and a good idea should always be executed. Not even pausing to think on the question, or why she suddenly asked now instead of before, he opened his mouth to give a brief answer, too entranced by his cooking to care for long, drawn-out responses. "I don't want a brief answer from you, Xiphos, I want a proper story. I know there must be one, so there is no point in prolonging the inevitably." She cut in, tucking a rebellious strand of hair behind her ear, continuing her work as if she hadn't just cut him off, leaving him to pause and stare at her in bemusement at her audacity.

"Well, to be honest, it started off as a method to become independent quicker, and to be able to move out of the family home." He started, twirling the blade absentmindedly as he started to reminisce about the past, nostalgia clouding his mind as he reflected back on his past. Nana just nodded, knowing that it is much easier to let people talk and then ask questions, a lesson she learnt well by talking to Alexander when he told her how he got his weapon. "Me and my mother very rarely see eye-to-eye on things, so we often end up having quite a few… debates, we'll say. I was very sheltered during my younger years, as she was very protective over her last child, and she is growing older every day." His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to remember the next sequence of events whilst Nana picked up the slack, working double-time. "I love her, but she can be very overbearing, and I entertained thoughts of leaving the house as soon as possible. I was only nine at the time, but I had an idea, and I damn well was determined at that age." He chuckled, wry grin etched on his face, causing a smile to cross the elder woman's face.

"So at the age of nine, I asked my elder sister to teach me a bit about cooking, as she herself had already managed to become successful even at the age of sixteen. And she did, teaching me everything she knew about it and then letting me explore cooking myself." He finished off, smiling briefly, before furrowing his eyebrows and tacking on a final sentence at the end. "So that's how I learnt how to cook: my sister taught me the basics and I learnt the rest myself, testing myself every now and again on my elder brother, who I made swear to secrecy about the whole thing. I enjoyed it a lot, so I cooked whenever I could, and soon enough I am as good as I am now. But I obviously have a lot to learn, as I am nowhere near the level of professionals or cooks like yourself" He finally finished, manoeuvring his hand in a gesture for any questions as he returned to preparing the meal. Nana was about to answer, but was interrupted by the timing ringing out, declaring to the world that the meat needed to be taken out and covered in the vegetables and milk.

"So you were mostly self-instructed then? That's impressive, considering the age you started at. Are you thinking of going professional, have something going on the side of your missions. Everyone in the mafia has to have some form of hobby, to keep them from cracking after killing someone?" She questioned, eyebrow rising after seeing the teen shake his head in the negative. "Why wouldn't you? I mean, you should have something to keep your mind off things once your missions turn bloody." She continued, relentless in her questioning, before backing off once she saw the teen's eyes turn downcast, as if he was ashamed about it. "You shouldn't be sad about it, and you don't really need to take the advice, but it would be a good idea to figure something out. It wouldn't hurt, at least. Anyway, changing the subject, we don't really need to do anything else at the moment in regards to the food, should be done later as it is on a slow roast. We'll be fine-dining later; do you think I should get some wine?" She joked, eyes twinkling in an effort to raise the red-head's spirits, succeeding for the most part as he smiled softly at her attempt.

"Wine? Well why not. If we are going fancy with Italian, we might as well go all out. Should we go red wine or white?" He joked, nudging the mother with an elbow before he started to root through the cupboards, aiming to get his own breakfast started before he had to go off to school. He had to have something after all, as it was the most important meal of the day. Deciding that there is little to no point in just leaving himself bereft of food when he had quite a while to wait until he had to leave for school, he dragged his eyes over the contents, eyes catching nothing in particular that he wanted to make. Sighing in dismay, he stared imploringly at Nana, whilst she herself was rooting through the fridge after something of her own. Seeing as he was being ignored, he scowled (even-though it looked more like a pout than anything else, a fact that he himself didn't realise and no-one else bothered to inform him), approaching the refrigerator as well. "What are you thinking of making? Omelettes?" he asked, trying to take a peek around Nana's shoulders, but failing to do so as he was just too short.

"Yea, it is Tsuna's favourite. I'm sure that, if he could, he'd trade me in for an omelette if it came down to it. Oddly enough it's also Reborn's fave." Nana commented, cracking the eggs over a pan, whilst Alex just rolled his eyes at the gross exaggeration, before swaggering of to his seat to get his bag again. Slinging it over one soldier, he plopped himself down, before pulling out his phone and checking to see if he got any messages. Realising that he hadn't, he exhaled, before deciding that he may as well watch Nana cook. Maybe he could get some skills off of her to make his own dishes better; after all, she is the superior cook. "What are you doing after school today, anyway? I was thinking that we could start our mission today, seeing as I won't be busy being a mother today as I am sure Dino can take care of it all." She continued on, moving the eggs around a bit as she spoke. Noting that name down for future reference, seeing as 'Dino' could be someone important. Well, was, seeing as he was Tsuna's father and all, and has probably come back from some serious business overseas.

_I wonder how important he is… What he does, why he does it and where he goes. Maybe I'll ask this 'Dino' later… Nah, I'll leave it, he would probably want to have some alone time with his son. You know the whole 'father-son bonding thing', that fathers are supposed to do. _He thought to himself, absentmindedly playing 'Snake' on his phone as he did so, awaiting Nana to finish making there breakfast. Bored of it already, he stood up, making his way back over to the counter and getting ready to make his and Ryohei's school lunch. He may as well make one for Kyoko, considering she usually tends to forget hers as well. When he thought about it, they may not look it, but they were definitely related in their mannerisms. She may not be painfully oblivious like Ryohei, but at times she was forgetful, just like her elder brother. Maybe it runs in the family or something? Well, anyway, he may as well start planning something that was bouncing around in his head for a long time now. After all, it was about time Tsuna got himself a relationship, and who was he to get in the way of true love?

Time to recruit the number one agent of love, Ms Gokudera!

Now to find Hayato… I wonder how he would look cosplaying as Sailor Venus*

* * *

"NII-SAN! ALEX-KUN! Wait up."

Turning round, the aforementioned duo stopped, staring at the incoming blur of Kyoko. Waiting for the girl to reach them, which didn't take long with the speed she was travelling at, with Ryohei shouting out encouragements as she ran – him seeing it as his precious baby sister being extreme in school, something he endeavoured to be all the time. The hallways were deserted, with everyone having left this side of the school to head off and do P.E, a group which the elder boys would also be a-part of if they hadn't of been held back by Mrs Heartoak, who wanted Alex to start the tutoring sessions sometime in the next two weeks or so – before the exams officially start and all the students were stressed from their arrival. With the realisation that he was falling behind in the conversation and Ryohei had already started talking to his sister whilst he was analysing the area. Following the speeding ahead pair, he softly exhaled, wry grin crossing his face before he flicked his hair out of his face, and running after them himself. He didn't see why they were running, or what they were even running too, but if he wanted to know he has to ask himself, seeing as Ryohei was a bit too predisposed… Shadow boxing, of all things, whilst he talked to his little sister.

"Kyoko-chan, Ryohei, slow down. We don't need to run to get to wherever it is that you are taking us, we can just walk you know?" Finally catching up to the speeding pair, he leapt at the back of them, looking like an angry squirrel ready to tear down the fool who took his nuts. Getting a firm grip on their shoulders, he managed to somehow dodge a renegade fist of Ryohei's, and make him slow down enough so that normal people can actually keep up to them. Kicking up dust as his feet boots treaded through them, they eventually came to a slow-down, walking somewhat normally instead of the fast pace the two had set before. "Wow… Didn't realise you were so fast, Kyoko. You should do track or something. But, anyway, why exactly are you outside of class, anyway? It's already been lunch, and I don't think they let students run around the school when they are supposed to be in lessons learning things? Plus, I've got to ask, why were you running to catch up with us, we were not going that fast and I'm sure you could of caught us in lesson if you had to." He questioned, lightly panting from the brief rush, before getting hiss breathe back and breathing evenly once more. Ryohei himself had tuned out the conversation, only briefly listening as he boxed an imaginary opponent.

"I don't know if you had this sort of thing in the U.K, but every now and again someone from each class is picked to be helpers for the staff, and we run around the school and give out letters and pick people up – that sort of thing." She said, regaining her own breath fairly quickly, and explaining to the bewildered boy just why she was after them. "The staff them-selves are often bogged down with work, and the receptionist is too 'busy' at the moment to call down the staff to take you down." She carried on her lecture as they traversed the stairs, Alex walking down normally as Kyoko slid down the banister, using Ryohei as support so that she wouldn't fall down. Entering the main reception first, she decided to bring her little explanation to an end, as they themselves entered behind. "And I had to run otherwise I would miss you two, and then what would I do? You two can be really fast when you want to be, you know." She giggled, before saying goodbye and leaving the room to return to whatever office they came from. Shaking his head ruefully, he turned to look at Ryohei, who was nowhere to be seen, the only hint he had was that the doors were wide open.

"Really Ryohei, are you that impatient that you can't wait for whomever it is to get here. Some would think you're a hyperactive child." Combing his hair back in place, he made himself look presentable for whoever was waiting for him, before settling on a simple look that he seemed to be favouring a lot more recently, instead of the extravagance he tried to apply to it before. Slotting the comb back into his bag, he re-zipped it, before following the same route that Ryohei did and left the school building. Basking in the typical Namimori sunlight for a moment, he inhaled the rural air before walking down the path way towards the main gates, where both Ryohei and Hibari stood waiting his arrival. Tilting his head to the side quizzically, he faced Hibari, wondering why he was here alongside them, and not being his usual anti-social self in his underground lair plotting mass destruction like a good little Hibari should. After all, it wouldn't do for him to be out in the sun too long – it might drain away all his villainy, and a good Hibari would most likely end up destroying reality. Or cause a ridiculous amount of fan-girls to spawn into existence, and build statues in his honour. Though either way, it would spell doom for the rest of the world, so he needs to be locked back up in his coffin of something.

"Pretty Lady, why are you staring at Carnivore like that? Are you cheating on Onii-san with Carnivore? That isn't very nice, you should apologise straight away or he'll be mad." Natsu piped in, rounding the corner with a fancy bag clasped in his hands, whilst donning a worried expression as he berated a frozen Alex. Ryohei was left trying to connect the dots in his head, before a mock-frown graced his face as he exploded into theatrics. Snaking his arms around the condescending child, he picked him up before making off into the metaphorical sunset with the giggling child, all whilst Hibari fumed and Alex looked more like a statue than a person. The only thing that managed to snap him out of his mortified daze was the fact that Hibari was currently rampaging after them, eager to maim and slaughter some innocent people for anyone even insinuating that he was in a relationship. He was already down the streets by the time he started to get his hair in a ponytail and out of his eyes, before he decided to forget it and just follow after them, and maybe defuse the volatile bomb known as Hibari. Giving chase, he pulled out his still nameless pair of weapons, and managed to keep the duo in his sight, even if Hibari was quickly widening the gap with every step he takes, his longer legs giving him a better chance of keeping up.

"Otouto, is this true? Is Alex cheating on me with Hibari-san?" Ryohei questioned, grinning at the cheerful child as he ran with him on his back, giving Natsu a piggy back ride for the sake of it. Hibari himself was already nearly on them, and Alex wasn't too far behind as he took to running on the walls lining the streets, giving him height advantage and an almost 'inside lane', allowing him to get to their position quicker as he didn't have to run as far. Seeing his passenger shake his head in the negative, he just gave him a secretive wink, before taking a deep breath and putting him down, ignoring the kids confused face. "I'M EXTREMELY SORRY MY BELOVED! FORGIVE ME FOR EVER DOUBTING YOU!" He announced as loud as he could to the world, massive grin on his face as he did so, leaving Hibari slightly annoyed at the public display of affection and causing Alex to crash face first on top of the boisterous boxer, leaving them both in a twitching heap on the floor. "EXTREME HUG!" Was the cry that accompanied the hug, leaving Alex crushed against Ryohei's chest, blushing like an idiot at their proximity in public, seeing as they were currently making a scene.

"Ryohei… Can't we do this elsewhere? People may watch us you know." He pleaded, wiggling around in an attempt to free himself from Ryohei's arms. Seeing them slacken just a little bit, he managed to escape, quickly jumping back up to his feet and straightening out his uniform in an attempt to look presentable. Getting that out the way, he offered his hand out to the fallen boxer, grinning like a maniac as he took the offered hand, dragging himself up, nearly knocking them both down as Alex struggled to lift his heavy weight up without becoming unbalanced. After making sure that they were both okay, they turned towards their mutual ward, before Alex couldn't help himself and started to question the boy. "So… Natsu… Why did you call us out of lesson to meet up, and why do you have that fancy bag with you? It's the first time that I've seen it, so what's inside?" He couldn't help but ask, whilst Ryohei slung the kid over his head, letting Natsu sit on the teen's shoulders, making him giggle like the child he is. Natsu's eyes lit up, before a massive grin pasted itself across his face, making him look like a miniature Ryohei.

"Oh yeah! How could I have forgotten about this? Anyway, I told my father about you guys and all that you were doing for me, so he got the local jewellers to send me a pair of these." Cutely, his small hand plunged into the folds of the bag, scavenging inside the bag for his prey, leaving him balanced without support on the boxer's head. Keeping the child secure, he clamped a hand around his legs, making him unable to fall from his precarious perch. With a raised eyebrow, Alex patiently watched the child hunt for whatever it was inside, still somewhat surprised that a mafia don would buy them something on such short notice, without even asking about their ability. Natsu must have really sold them or something, for him to entrust his son to the young group of teens. "Aha, got it. I hope you all like it; he said that they will make you all look like a team made up of badasses. They didn't cost a lot, so don't worry about cost or anything. Take them." He forced the three boxes that he pulled out of the bag onto them, using Ryohei as a transporter. Deciding that he has better things to do with his time than argue with kids, Alex decided that it was better to conceded just this once, sometimes it just wasn't worth it to argue with young children.

Especially when the young child in question came bearing gifts.

"Aww, you didn't have to Natsu-kun. I would have been happy just getting nothing." Eagerly opening the box with a surprising amount of vigour, he couldn't help but smile fondly at the gift inside, biting his lip as he unveiled the prize within. Spreading the onyx arms apart, he slotted the frame behind his ears and letting the actual sunglasses rest on the bridge of his nose. The Brit couldn't help but model with the sunglasses on, sorting his hair out in a way to emphasise the fact that he was wearing 'BAMF' sunglasses at the moment. Showing it off for a bit, he casually ignored the somewhat dubious look Hibari sent his way, instead focusing on hugging the child in gratitude. After all, if you were a Mafioso, why wouldn't you want amazing sunglasses? It would be against some form of conduct if you weren't wearing it whilst you were a part of a Famiglia. Totally. If Alex had to bet a haircut, he'd certainly say that Reborn had hundreds of pairs in his wardrobe, because if he is the 'best', then he must have the most. "Thank you so much. If I ever need to make an entrance I'll be sure to wear them."

"Damn straight you should. My father didn't shell out good money for you not to wear them. They make you all look like AMAZING right? Right. SO you'll wear them a lot. All the time. Won't you, Carnivore-sama?" Natsu enunciated, focusing more on the scowling Hibari in the background than the other two students. He seemed to be almost threatening the self-proclaimed 'Carnivore' with promises of forced companionship – the bane of any egotistical vampire's existence. "We are a team, after all, so we all have to have something that links us together. And it will fit in with the fact that you are all superheroes, and all superheroes look super special awesome." He repeated, stressing the words 'team' and 'together' out, dropping obvious hints to the belligerent skylark, who's hand was inching dangerously close to his 'fangs' – his tonfas. Alex smirked, throwing his hair back exaggeratedly, before it occurred to him just what sort of language his young charge was using, and how he was using. Natsu couldn't help but shiver lightly, feeling the looming threat a mile away in the form of the swordsman's careful controlled face. With a calm expression pasted on his face, Alex decided to take on the responsible parent role, and do what every parent would do in this situation.

"Natsu… Who taught you that kind of language? It's one thing to call someone 'tsundere', but it is another thing entirely to go round and start calling people 'BAMFs' and 'Badasses' and saying words like 'damn' all the time. You are way too young for that kind of language." Alex scolded, interfering directly with the one-sided stare down by placing his body between the combatants, hands on his waist in the typical condescending mother pose. Spotting what he was doing quickly; Alex hastily removed his hands from his waist and crossed them together instead, so that he can regain some semblance of masculine dignity before it all spiralled down the drain. Not noticing the hasty shift, the young mafia heir's eyes started to glitter, a cute pout gracing his face, making him look too adorable to be mad at. Sighing in dismay at the fact that he was already wrapped around the kid's finger, he could only shake his head at the display, too disappointed in himself to stay annoyed at the child's language. "Ahh well, I'm sure you'll try and keep your language clean from now on, won't you." Shrugging his shoulders, he just turned around, walking towards his volatile teammate, before pausing and turning back.

"Anyway, why exactly did you get the rabid dog one? He would only break it, like he does everything else he owns." Changing the atmosphere into a more light-hearted one, making Natsu drop the puppy dog act and to instead smile happily, whilst the aforementioned 'rabid dog' to literally snarl in response, and raise his tonfas in a threatening manner. "Calm down will ya, you don't have to bark at me you know? Gawd Natsu-kun, how rude can you get?" Idly, the Xiphos-user commented, waving his hand in the prefect's general direction in a dismissive gesture, hoping to get a rise out of the easily angered boy, before focusing on the youngest here along with his faithful stead, both of which were currently jumping up and down. Well, Ryohei was jumping up and down like the energetic madman that he is, and Natsu was dragged along for the ride, forced to be sent careening through the air by the boxer's exercise erratic movements. Deciding that maybe it would be a good idea, seeing as there was nothing to lose, he jumped alongside them, just going with the flow of things, joining them in their random endeavour.

What's the worst that could happen?

"Herbivores… I will bite you to death!" Hibari, everyone's favourite sadist, interrupted – much to the chagrin of the resident red-head, who was about to say something in response but was pre-empted by Ryohei, who sensed an opportunity for a fight.

"A fight? That sounds EXTREME! Let's have a three-way(!), right here, right now."

"So a three-way? Don't you think this is too crowded for one of those? I don't suppose you know anywhere decent for one of those."

"Umm… You can come round to mine. I'm sure they'll let you use the training room for a three-way."

"… Show us the way, miniature herbivore. Let's go."

_Woo, guess like we're having a three-way at Natsu's. I can just tell that this is gonna be a fun experience. I lose often enough against the both of them, and I still have that bruise from yesterday._

… _Guess like it's time for some revenge against Hibari then. Now this three-way will be fun then._

* * *

Things were not going well, that was for sure. Well, it was going pretty decent for Ryohei, and Hibari had very little damage done to him – making Alex the saddest panda this side of the universe. He was in last place in their little game, having had the most damage inflicted on him, but he was lucky enough that they were not grievous injuries, and instead were essentially superficial injuries that will clear up after a couple of days. Shaking the dust out of his hair, he let his sword clatter to the ground, unable to keep standing for much longer after withstanding an onslaught between two impressive fighters who he has trouble with normally. Picking his blade back up, he had to flip out of the way of an incoming tonfa, sent his way courtesy of one devious vampire. Landing on his knees, he just there, sweat pouring down his face from the exertion, making his face crimson from his blood pumping as he tried to recover some energy to do anything with. Placing his weapon on the ground, he did his best to take deep breathes, trying to ease the aches and pains littered over his body, whilst watching the other two people duke it out, an all-out war taking place in front of him between fist and steel.

"Pretty Lady, get up and fight. You can't leave all the fighting to them, right?" Natsu questioned, looking in Alex's general direction as he rained down encouragements from his position in the room. This 'training room' of Natsu's wasn't the typical sort of room one would expect with the name that it has. It was nothing more than a bare room, cream paints pasted on the wall lazily, creating some abstract mix of cream and grey. It wasn't a pretty room, that was for sure, but maybe it wasn't supposed to be. Maybe it was supposed to be ugly as some form of test to see just how much resolve you had in continuing your training, or a way of visually showing the individual just how painful it was to tread down the path to strength, and that there will be sacrifices – like vanity or hobbies. Stepping away from that train of thought, his eyes scoured the room, trying to spot any weakness or little niche that he could take advantage of. Unsuccessful with that approach, he could only watch the two battlers dance their deadly tango, trading blows one after the other in rapid strokes. Seeing no such openings that he could take advantage of, he was forced to have to make some then.

"Natsu-kun, I'm just getting ready, that's all. No need to worry or anything about little old me." Alex sing-songed, dancing back into the fray with his trusty blade, much to the happiness of the targeted child. Clashing his blade against the so-called 'feral dog's', he created pressure on Hibari, forcing him to back away from the sword-wielder, who immediately had to block a vicious jab thrown his way by Ryohei, who was ready for the returning combatant. Lashing out with a lightning fast kick, he was caught off guard when Ryohei managed to avoid being hit, and grabbed a hold of his foot. Trapped in the boxer's vice-like grip, he could only balance himself precariously with his free foot, shifting it backwards and forward in an attempt to stay balanced. Keeping his grip on Alex's ankle tight, Ryohei slowly started to spin, picking up more and more velocity the further he twisted, before releasing his grip and sending the light-weight boy sailing through the air. This, unfortunately, was in the direction of one Hibari Kyoya – who capitalised on the free opportunity to hurt someone by slamming his tonfas down, sending him crashing to the ground in a crumpled heap, unable to get up again for the foreseeable future.

"I'm not trying that again anytime soon… Ughh this must be what old people feel all the time. Never complaining about the elderly and their back-pains ever again. I now understand their pain…." Groaning, he tried to sit up, before finding out that maybe it wasn't such a good idea – he could almost feel the bruise blossoming in the middle of his back right this second. A very unpleasant experience, that's for sure, so he just lay there in agony bemoaning his current state, plotting the demise of the other two teenagers in the room. There was so many ways they could go, all of them fitted head to toe with positives and negatives, but some of them would just be so worth it if he managed to succeed. The aggressive sadist would probably go berserk if he heard the thoughts of mutiny, but luckily he didn't – he wasn't up to the standards of villains such as Reborn just yet. He didn't have the necessary level of pure evil just yet, but give it a few years and maybe he'll have it down.

Maybe in ten years or so? Possibly.

"Alex? You okay down there?" Ryohei asked, looking down on the beaten ginger heap with concern in his eyes, foregoing his usual catchphrase in favour of being serious. Knocked out of his brief moment of conspiracy, Alex managed a weak smile, before grunting, attempting to get up once more to show that he was okay, and failing immensely as it only made the pain spike up once more. Grimacing, he tried to re-assure the boxer that he was okay, but failed impressively as Ryohei's concern quickly grew to worry. "… You don't look like you're okay." Calling off the fight with some abstract signal that Hibari seemed to recognise and follow, stopping whatever attack he was about to use and returning to his usual unruffled and stoic self, much to the chagrin of the injured swordsman. Hefting an arm under the red-head, he lifted his downed friend of off the floor, taking note of where it hurts so that he can avoid them.

"Ryohei… You don't have to carry me you know, I can walk myself." Blushing at their close proximity, he tried to dissuade the determined warrior, failing spectacularly as he was carted out of the room by the belligerent force known as 'Ryohei'. "I'm not going to win am I?" Alex muttered resignedly, resting his head on the comfy pillow carrying him. Feeling the nod more than he saw, he shut his eyes off, locking them away from the world, resting momentarily on his chariot. "Ryohei, you are really comfortable, you know that?" He nuzzled into the offered chest, looking more like a tired kitten more than anything – a fact that Ryohei would have commented on had he not been more pre-occupied with finding his way out of the expansive room and throughout Natsu's luxurious house, a difficult task if you had the memory span of an intellectual goldfish. Weaving through expansive corridors and winding hallways, it didn't take long for the tired duo to get lost.

"Alex, where are we? Are we extremely lost?" Scanning their exact locale with tired eyes, he couldn't place the exact place they were, and it wasn't familiar at all. Deep red rugs paved the floors, covering the golden carpet that lay underneath in a crimson blanket, leaving it completely untouched by dirt or grime. High walls stretched up high, ending in what seems to be miles above their heads, curving in a regal fashion above them. Paintings of all the previous owners of the mansion lined the walls in perfect symmetry, not an image out of place. It was almost eerie; all of the paintings had their subjects with their eyes wide open, as if they have seen too much bad in the world, becoming disillusioned with reality. Stony faced, these images were threatening, and Alex must not have been the only one to feel this way, as even the unflappable Ryohei was slightly unnerved by their wide-eyed gaze. "We should get out of here. It feels strange here." Ryohei spoke, loud voice slightly shaken by the atmosphere.

"I think that would be for the best. But where will we go? We are lost." Alex sleepily replied, popping that bubble before it ever was ever blown. "The only thing that I see us doing is waiting here for the other two to arrive here and save us, or well one, as I doubt Hibari will return for us." He yawned, stretching out his limbs like a tired cat, emphasising how tired he was, leading to the boxer chuckling. "What are you laughing about? This is serious business?"

"You extremely look like a cat. A very tired cat." He explained, forgetting completely about where they were and speaking with his usual intensity, furiously trying to move his hands to emphasise his simplistic point. Forgetting just what he was holding in his arms, jostling him around like a rag-doll, irritating the bruises dotting his body. Hissing like a cat, Alex could only hold on for dear life, otherwise he would have been dropped – an unpleasant experience, almost like falling over but you can't save yourself. Trying to get back in a comfortable position, Alex couldn't find it in him to give the oblivious boy a chilling glare – if it was Hibari in Ryohei's spot or Reborn; they would both be six feet under by now. Well, he would try to at least, but it would be doubtful whether or not he would be successful.

"Be careful, you could have dropped me. And Ryohei, I don't know whether or not to hit you or hug you, because I think you just saved us. Can you hear that?" He started, smiling sleepily as he listened intently, hearing voices off in the distance, shushing Ryohei when he was about to make a noise. "Got it! You hear it now?" Taking a moment to register his nod, they quickly turned back to the way they came, rushing in a surprisingly fast charge considering Ryohei had a large number of injuries and had been fighting for at least a few hours, draining him off his considerable stamina. Hearing the noise grow louder and louder, they eventually reached where it was loudest, seeing a worried child barrel round the corner, and nearly crash into the battle-weary team. Slowing to a halt in front of them he took a moment to catch his breath, before explaining whereabouts they are and how to get back.

"I finally found you two! I've been looking everywhere for you, and I find you here. Typical. Anyway, after you walked off, I escorted Carnivore-sama out and gave him a lollipop, as he was being mean and my friend Tsubaki-chan said that to make people like you, you should be nice to them and everything…" Natsu recited, repeating word for word everything that had gone on since they walked off, dragging them in the direction of the main reception (so that they could collect their things) and out of the front door. "… Oh yeah did I tell you that you are all awesome! You were all like _BOOM BOOM_ and _BANG_ and _SLASH _and _KAPOW!_" Narrating in hindsight, he just repeated the battle and what went on, with Ryohei joining in with his own thoughts every now and again, attempting to get some rest. Ending the conversation, Ryohei made his way home, saying his goodbyes to the child along with Alex's

Making his way towards his house, Ryohei led the conversation, with Alex interfering every now and again with some words but mostly leaving it up to him to lead it. They talked for the entire trip, walking together in the dusk. Crossing all the landmarks on the way there off a metaphorical check-list, they plodded along, arriving at the house in record time. Slipping in undisturbed, Ryohei called out to Kyoko, telling her that she was in and that Alex was staying over for the night, getting two different reactions. Kyoko just shouted down a greeting, before returning to her sleep, whilst Alex perked up, looking at his captor in shock, unaware that he would be staying over for the night. Just accepting it, he asked to be put down so that he could get ready for bed and phone Nana to tell her that he was staying over, which Ryohei allowed, placing him down carefully before heading up the stairs. Typing in the home phone number, he waited tensely for someone to answer, before finally getting a reply.

"Hello, sorry, I won't be able to come back today, staying over at Ryohei's for the night – I should of told you sooner, but it was a spur of the moment kind of deal…" Rambling on, he didn't realise that it wasn't Nana on the phone, and that it was the one person he was dreading talking to.

"Who are you? Wait… Is this Alex?" The young-sounding voice on the other side clearly didn't belong to Nana, and it was way too deep for Tsuna's or Reborn's voices. Meaning it could only be one person.

Dino.

"Umm… hehe… Hello? Yea, it is. This is an awkward way to meet but, um… where do you work?

"Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious – you leave you wife and son a lot to do your work, so I wanted to know what you do."

"Wife and son?"

"Yea, you know, Nana-san and Tsu-kun. Why do you leave them for long periods of time?" He asked, expecting a semi-serious answer for his troubles. Not the deep laugh that reverberated down the phone line.

"Umm, Alex, I think you have the wrong end of the stick. Tsuna isn't my son, and Nana isn't my wife. I know the father, but I am not him." Dino explained, amusement clear on his tongue,

_Oh. Oh. OH! Well this is awkward…_

"… Can you pass this message on to Nana san then, that I'll be back tomorrow when the business is sorted?"

"Yea, sure, no prob."

"Thank you. Bye." Hanging up without waiting for a response, he hobbled up the stairs, trying to agitate his wounds as little as possible – and impressive feat. Looking more like a penguin, he waddled into the bathroom, sorting out his nightly rituals before escaping into Ryohei's room.

"Ryohei, where am I sleeping?" He asked, needing to get into bed soon or else he'll end up crashing.

"In my bed. It's a large one, so it should be able to hold us both."

"Ehh, fair enough." Too tired to care, he crawled round to the other side, facing way from Ryohei as he slipped away into sleep.

"Goodnight, Ryohei."

Even if all he got in a response was a grunt, it still made him smile the largest smile he has had in a long time.

* * *

_**Chapter 12, fin~**_

_***Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor moon. Never have never will.**_

_**Wow, It's almost twelve in the evening/morning, so let's wrap this up quickly. I've explained why updates will be every so often, because college is a pain that I have to sacrifice time to, so it makes me so sad. I've got like ten minutes before I have to sleep, so lets get this started then**_

_**Review Corner:**_

_**AxLxS: Once again, thank you so much for reviewing and for complementing me :D. It means a lot to me for you to go so :D. If I ever need help I'll come to you, so don't worry on that front :). Anyway, thank you for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy the chapter enough to review again :D!~**_

_**Akatsuki's Neko Stalker: Thanks for the review :D. The Group? What Group are you referring to? I am so confused at the moment lol. And on the avengers front, Idk when I'll have the free time to watch it, but I'll try and get some time free to do so. If it is as good as everyone is saying it is then I'll certainly enjoy watching it :D. Glitter tennis? That sounds like the greatest thing ever. Seriously. I would so play that if I could :D. And that reminds me, I need more Gokudera interactions lol, I forgot him and Tsuna's group in this chapter sadly, but next chapter is going to be full, so no worries there. Sorry, but there was little actual interaction because the chapter took control. I'll try and see if he fits in to 13 a lot more than this one, but Alex totes thinks he is Tsuna's father lol. And Alex enjoys the torture... Actually, no, he doesn't xD. Anyway, thank you for reviewing once again, and I hope you enjoy this chapter enough to continue to review :D.**_

_**Glasses and Spectacles: Thanks for reviewing, I know how busy your schedule is, so I totes understand what why you are unable to be on a lot. I'm the same lol, because college is a thing and it is time-consuming :D. FLuffy 11 is fluffy so it's the best? Got to remember that formula lol for the future, add more fluff to it xD. Nah, I'll still add angst (and there is a lot of it), but there will be an equal amount of fluff. We have a bit of fluff in this chapter xD, if that counts :D. Natsu is your fave? That makes Alex sad lol. Joke xD. You'll see him a lot, so you'll get to see his progress, and what sort of role Alex takes in his life in comparison to the other members. I was originally going to have him as a member for the 'Sun' flame slot, but I had a better idea and replaced it. Mostly because the one I chose fit the characters a lot more, if you get what I am saying :D. Barely there crossdressing strikes back lol, but Idk if it will be a common thing because Alex would stab anyone who suggested it, like he tried to do to Hibari xD. He's got the body for it, that's for sure, but I don't know if he has the confidence for it just yet xD. Snarky Alex the sequel part 20 is a thing indeed, and it obvs won't be the end of the conflict between Hibari and Alex - not by a long shot xD. Well, not with what I have planned :DDD. Ryohei and Alex FAMILY TIME :D. It might be a thing, might not - it's not for me to tell you. Look to the future and It'll be revealed xD. Ryohei is so innocent it makes me giggle, and it sort of spread lol - I assume that Alex is innocent to the ways of the world, but has an attitude that conflicts with a lot of people, so he had to learn to improve his snarkiness :). Waifu Time? Better than Waifu? OMG really that was like O.o lol. There a bit too young too get married, they are like in there teen years :D. Woo, glad to see you looking forward to the next chapter - I must be doing my job right :))). thanks for the luck, gonna need it. Snyway, thank you so much for reviewing, and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter enough to review once more :D.**_

_**That's that then, all the replies :D.**_

_****__**Anyway, so until next time, thanks to everyone that reviewed the previous chapter, and I hope that you'll do so again on this chapter, along with the people who didn't. So thank you everyone that reviewed/favourite/followed/stalked/read/enjoyed/e tc/etc the story, and I hope you are happy with this chapter :D. **_

_****__**If you are, review, it is my motivation xD, so more reviews more posts (I think). They will at least make me super happy :D.**_

_****__**So until next time, TTFN~**_


	13. Chapter 13

Kicking the blanket off the bed, Alex rose, intending to get out the bed and ready for school, only to be foiled when he was sent crashing back down, yanked by the still slumbering Ryohei on to the bed. Heavy-lidded and scowling, the secret agent could only wonder what happened, before trying once more to get up. After all, if you at first don't succeed, try, try again – a motto that his currently tired and beleaguered conscience was following whole-heartedly at this moment in time, too tired to bother with planning an escape route. As a result, he was once again dragged back down by the boxer, who was clutching the tips of his long hair with a clenched fist. Reaching down, Alex tried his best to recover his hair, but failed when it was found to be too ensconced in Ryohei's vice-like grip. Sighing, he realised that it would be physically impossible to retrieve it without waking the boxer up, and with a rather annoyed air he made a mental note that all he could do was wait for him to get up. He could cut the strands that were gripped, but he would much rather prefer to leave the room with his hair intact, even if that meant he had to wait a ridiculously long time.

_At least he wasn't eating it like his nephew tended to…_ His mind, being the optimist that it was, decided that it wasn't all bad, and that it could be much worse, pointing out that at least he wasn't eating it or pulling it, he just had it in his grasp. Deciding not to voice the dreaded 'it could be worse' that tended to herald the coming of a series of unfortunate events that make the situation infinitely worse, as such was the punishment for those who tempt Fate so foolhardily. Scanning the room, his eyes drunk in the sight, realising that he hadn't ever really took the time to analyse and just look at Ryohei's room, instead of just hastily skimming over it, like he did the times before. The room, if it could even be called that, was significantly larger than his abode at the Sawada's, and if he was the envious type then he would certainly covet it. But luckily for him he wasn't the 'green-eyed monster' that people believed teenagers were, and instead he compared it to his own.

The large, expansive room was more like a foyer than a bedroom, its sheer size looking entirely out of place in such a typical house. It wasn't the size of the rooms in Natsu's mansion, but it was still respectful in its own right. A mahogany wardrobe piece stood steadfast in the corner, hugging the wall tightly, filled to the brim with clothes (from what he had seen last time in his search for clothes.) Lying innocently enough was a stack of weights, a strong, sturdy metal pole rested nearby, uneven on its place on the stand. Both famous and infamous boxers were hung up on the wall, posters capturing and showing them off in their greatest victories or crushing defeats – a definite far cry from the objects adorning his own walls, instead of boxing champs there was posters of his favourite video games and anime stars, such as those from the series _Final Fantasy_ and _Persona_, both coming from esteemed producers. Various boxing pieces littered the floor, a large, heavy sandbag hung from the ceiling, what was most likely a bright crimson now a dull, used dirty-red. Looking away from the cream pseudo-room that resembled a gym more-so than a bedroom, he faced the windows, still trapped in his comfortable prison, duly noting that the sun had yet to rise – instead a deep black blanket was what was occupying the space the sunlight should rest.

_Yea, no, I seriously think it is time to get out of here. _Fully agreeing with his conscience for once, he felt around in the dark, following the ginger trail of his hair to the hand that was clutching the life out of him, before setting to work prying the offending digits off of his locks. Grimacing from the exertion, he managed to remove the thumb before he was foiled once again, the sleeping fighter's fist tightening even further than before. Annoyed at both himself and Ryohei, all he could do was glare into the twilight darkness, trying his best to set fire to an offending bug walking the length of the ceiling like he owned it. Cooling his rising temper down, there was only one option for him, if he wanted to get up and do something with his extra hours – like wash his hair or shower. He had to awaken the sleeping beast, and force him to get up. It wasn't the actual waking him up that was worrying him, it was the fact that he noticed that Ryohei wasn't sleeping much lately, and he didn't want to take away some of that time away from him. Leaving it be for now, he just resigned himself to his fate, hoping that whatever deity that was listening that it wouldn't back-fire on him, somehow, like these kinds of things tended to do.

Wanting to know the time, he threw his arm of the side of the bed, searching for the edge of his bag so that he could lift it up off the ground and find out where his phone got to. Gripping it tightly, he lifted it until it was only a few centimetres away, and started to rummage through the bag, pushing past pens and papers, important documents and trivial drawings until he found what he was looking for, locking onto it like a falcon and plucking it out of its resting place at the bottom of Alex's bag. Switching the power on, he waited patiently as the brand's name surged up onto the screen, followed by a list of its sponsors and other companies that have held some sort of relevance in its creation, before ending in the main menu. According to the time on his phone, it was _4:15_ – no wonder he was so shattered, and Ryohei had yet to awaken, as he was always up shortly before the crack of dawn. Searching the menu screen, his eyebrow shot up, curious at the fact that he had a message. Looking inside the folder, he was shocked to see who it was from, considering he had yet to receive a text from them.

In bright white letters spelled out the name _Claire._

The name of his sister, and the name of the sibling he felt closest to. Intrigued by this, he opened up the text message, wondering just why she would be texting him when she opposed this form of communication, herself believing that he should use the novelty of letters. Reading it as fast as he could, he couldn't help but feel disbelief at what was printed, and had to re-read it at least twice before realising that she had indeed sent that to him, and that it wasn't a mistake. Despite her considerable resources, she was asking him for a favour – and it was a sort of favour that you wouldn't ask your younger brother who was in middle school to do. According to the text message, she had asked him to find her a place of residence in Namimori that suited her needs, and to meet her at the airport today to show her around the town and to meet his friends. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem – it was the date in which she would be arriving that would prove troublesome. The date, you may ask, was today. As in right after school, and he was asked to show her around straight away.

_How long do I have to find her a house, buy it with the money she deposited in a bank account, and meet her at the air-port and pray to whoever is listening that she doesn't make a massive entrance or a scene that could potentially rival the 'Half-Naked Tsuna' incident? _Even if he felt guilty for it now it had to be done, otherwise he would have a smaller chance than before in meeting the criteria set by his elder sister – something that he would do his best to avoid, lest he suffers the consequences. Swallowing his reluctance, he prodded the slumbering Ryohei in an attempt to rouse him, watching guiltily as he slowly opened his eyes and released him. Saying an amused 'good morning' to his friend, he used his new freedom to get up and out of bed, changing out of his pyjamas in haste, ignoring the fact that Ryohei would have been able to see his entire body if he was still awake, but luckily for the Brit he had fell back asleep the moment he had left the bed. Grabbing his stuff together, he pulled out a brush, walking briskly towards the bathroom to get himself sorted. Flicking the shower on, he finished getting undressed, stepping inside the shower – but not before remembering to turn the lock on the door. He's learnt not to leave the door unlocked, not ready to risk an incident occurring like with Reborn.

Washing himself, he set his alarm for thirty minutes, waiting for the bell on his phone to ring before jumping out of the shower. The luminescent clock on his phone read _5:00, _giving him plenty of time to run downstairs and get breakfast started. Changing into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, he descended the stairs twice at a time, before launching his body through the threshold between the hallway and the kitchen, already placing the oven on. Yanking open the fridge, he pulled out some fish, the appropriate vegetables and some eggs – deciding to make a traditional breakfast just like Nana taught him to a few days ago. Not confident in his skills, but feeling that the only way to improve was to try, he decided on making some steamed rice, miso soup, some tamagoyaki and some broiled fish – a typical Japanese breakfast if Nana was to be believed. Pulling out a cup and a bowl, he poured a cup of rice into the deep bowl, before filling it with water. Sticking his hands in, he swished the rice around the bowl, watching in fascination as the water started to get murky. The whole purpose of this was to apparently get rid of the starch, so that the grains don't stick together and become a ball of 'white gunk', as she so aptly put it. Pouring out the water, he repeated this four more times, noting that the water was clear now. Leaving that on the side, he set his alarm for twenty minutes or so, before moving onto preparing the Miso soup, just as Kyoko made her way down the stairs.

"Good morning Alex-kun…" Kyoko trailed off, yawning loudly before doing a spit-take when she realised just who was standing in front of her cooking up breakfast, "Wait… When exactly did you get here?" Kyoko finished, utterly confused by the current situation which only led to the beleaguered red-head shrugging non-committedly, doing his very best to just shrug the question off and get on with his cooking. "Answer the question mister," Hands on her hips, she somehow managed to look like an angry kitten – cute, but very dangerous.

"I stayed over." Happy with his own explanation of the situation, he tuned out the conversation as Kyoko was left sputtering, trying to make sense of the seeming witchcraft whilst Alex was left in his own little world, cooking up a storm. Kyoko managed to gather her composure, returning from the disbelieving teen to her regular sunny self, the self that was adored by her entire school and placed her as the learning institute's idol.

"But where did you sleep?" Nodding her head to some hidden beat, she smiled innocently at the busy teen as he was working, leaning casually on the table. "I mean, I didn't set up a futon for you, and you certainly didn't sleep on the floor or couch, so where did you?" Explaining her point, she shook her head side to side, staring imploringly at the teen – who just simply ignored her in favour of looking at other things. Like the clock. He never noticed how… shiny it was… and how it makes soft clicks every now and again…

"Isn't it rude to ignore someone that's asking you a question? I thought you were supposed to be respectful to ladies?"

"… I slept in Ryohei's bed" Nonchalantly spitting it out, the now seriously blushing teen ignored the slightly stunned silence as Kyoko tried her very hardest to assimilate the sudden influx of information.

"Wait… You slept in… Ryohei's bed?" Kyoko started out, slowly wording it so that she can actually figure the logic of it out.

"Yes I did, now that we have established this can we move onto a different subject please?" He pleaded, not willing to spend a long time on this conversation. Whilst he and Ryohei may feel okay about it, some may find it a bit odd that they shared a bed with the other, especially since they were not exactly in a relationship.

"So wait… Does that mean that you are in a relationship now? Because I totally ship Ryohei x Alex at the moment but I might be starting to ship Hibari x Alex or maybe even Hibari x Alex x Ryohei…" She only stopped speaking when she saw the stunned cook drop an expensive glass, staccato shards playing out a dissonant beat. "It's okay; I don't mind that you are dating my brother. But before it starts getting too serious we need to set some ground rules…" She started - only to be rudely cut off by Alex, who was exasperated at the conclusion she came to.

"What… On Earth… Are you saying? You 'ship' me and Ryohei? How does that make any sense? And wait did you say me and Hibari?" He was overtaken by a giggling fit before he could ground himself, trying to imagine himself and Hibari in a relationship.

It really wasn't working. All that was coming to mind was the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Chucky babies – not the prettiest sight in the world. Sadly enough, it fit the relationship Hibari and he shared perfectly.

"Kyoko… What crack are you smoking, and where can I get some?" With one raised eyebrow, he stared the now blushing girl down, amusement clashing with annoyance momentarily before they settled for the middle ground – acceptance. "Oh wait… Do you go to the same dealer as Haru?" He asked, as that was a totally Haru thing to say.

"Haru… Who's that? And wait, I don't do drugs, but I can hook you up with someone if you want." She said nonchalantly, returning to her relaxed posture as if she didn't just say that she knew a dealer, and was prepared to offer his or her services to the stunned teenager. Choosing to ignore the insanity that was Kyoko, he slowly turned, pretending that this conversation had never occurred. "Anyway, I need to go get ready properly; I'll cya soon then, Alex-kun," Kyoko left, smiling her trademark innocent grin and heading back up the stairs and towards the shower room. With that moment of his life behind him, he returned to cooking the breakfast for the family, repressing the surrealism that was Kyoko for now.

Setting out a pan of water, he threw the seaweed into the water, leaving it for a couple of minutes so that it could get rid of the 'fishy' flavour – once again put eloquently by Tessen. Leaving it to slowly simmer, he got started on the tamagoyaki, or much rather the side dish accompanying it. Grabbing the daikon radish he set out on the side, he got started grating it for the side dish whilst the seaweed simmered lightly on the oven. Finally finished with grating, he put down the grater and continued to make the miso soup. Throwing in the rest of the ingredients: the green onions, sliced tofu and miso – he stirred until the miso was dissolved, before taking it off the flame and covering it with tin foil to ensure it kept warm. Hearing the alarm go off, he drained the rice as best he could, before pouring out the rice into a flat-pan for him to cook. Adding an extra cup of water, he poured half a teaspoon of salt to the mixture, before turning the pan to a high temperature until the water started to bubble, before turning the heat low and throwing a lid on top of it. Once again setting his alarm for 15 minutes, he supressed a yawn, before finally getting started on the tamagoyaki.

Taking four eggs, he cracked them on the sides before tipping the contents of them into a bowl, pulling out a fork and beating them fiercely before adding a tablespoon of soy sauce, mirin and sugar plus a pinch of salt. Pouring some cooking oil onto the pan, he set it to a medium heat before adding the first layer of egg to it, waiting for a bit to cook before moving it over to the side. Repeating the process until he had used all the egg, adding oil whenever it was needed, he was eventually left with nothing but the tamagoyaki, which he removed from the pan precariously before setting it off to the side to cook. Hearing his alarm go off once more, he set the rice off to the side, leaving the lid to cover the rice or else it will be 'compromised'. The only thing he had left to do was start on the broiled fish – the dish he was least looking forward to cooking. Feeling the heavy footfalls up above, he smirked to himself, ready to enlist the help of the rampaging beast currently making a racket upstairs. Laying the fish he was using out, he seasoned them lightly with salt and pepper before coating it with coconut oil, and then sticking the filets underneath a broiler just as the elder sibling dashed down the stairs in record time.

"Morning, Alex. You cooking for us? I remembered to stock up for you?" Exuberantly, Ryohei charged into the kitchen, pausing momentarily to take in the smells before he sat down clad only in a tight shirt and shorts as he fidgeted. Turning around to face the excitable fighter, he chose to ignore the Boxer's state of clothing, the only evidence of him noticing was the very faint blush adorning his cheeks. Recognising his energetic state, Alex only smiled softly, shaking his head before telling him he could stand up, and answered his question once and for all. Noting the wide smile on his friends face, he could only respond in kind, before returning to getting the fish ready. Once that was done, he accepted the help of Ryohei in serving everything up, pouring the miso soup and the rice into bowls, setting the tamagoyaki out and placing the fish into elaborate patterns. "Alex… I'm hungry. Let's eat now! Can I…" Ryohei asked, expectant grin pasted over his face, as he slung an arm around the swordsman's shoulder.

"Ryohei, I've cooked it to be eaten – of course you can eat now." Mimicking his glee, Alex couldn't help but be prideful at his work, and the fact that Ryohei was eating it instead of running off to do his morning run – not that he wouldn't eventually, but at least this way he could spend more time with him. Getting his own plate sorted, he settled down at the table, before starting a conversation with Ryohei. "Oh yeah, and Ryohei, I will not be in school for long, going to leave at around twelve to go house-hunting for my elder sister."

"House-hunting? Sounds important." Ryohei couldn't help but ask, curious as to why. After explaining the situation to him as simply as possible to him, he just 'ahh'd' in response, eager to get back to the food. "Didn't know you had an older sister, Alex." The grey-haired teen commented, somehow managing to not look barbaric stuffing food into his mouth, much to Alex's amazement and Kyoko's confusion – even if she had been around him for a long time, she still didn't fully understand the enigma that was Ryohei, and how he did the things that he did without burning out. "Oh, and Alex, I have a favour to ask."

"Hmm? I thought that I had told you about my family… well, anyway, yeah – I have two elder brothers and an older sister, with my sister being the oldest out of all of us." He informed him, finishing his breakfast at around the same time as the fighter, shrugging slightly as he did so. Standing, he took his dish to the sink, leaving it to be washed later. "And Ryohei, I am only going house-hunting because she forced it on me, and I would love it if you didn't inform Edward Cullen that I was leaving for a reason like that, he would hunt me down and bite me to death, even if we are a team." He tacked on at the end, the only inclination that he would do what Ryohei wanted was the lack of a decline. Already knowing the lightning flame's patterns, Ryohei elaborated on what he wanted his friend to do. "So… You want me bring Natsu here at four? Why?" He questioned, tilting his head to his side as he did so.

"I want to teach him how to box. He wanted to learn how to defend himself, so he extremely asked me to teach him." He said simply, joining the stunned red-head at the sink, placing his own dishes in there as well. After hearing him ask why, all Ryohei did was shrug, before picking Alex up bridal style, much to the now blushing teen's consternation. "But now, it's time to train!" You could almost see the flaming aura surrounding him as he said this "EXTREME RUNNING!" Prepared this time for the scheduled kidnapping, for what else would it be, the young cook ducked down low, just barely dodging the grasping hands, and running just outside of his range, sly grin plastered on messily.

"Sorry Ryohei, not today." Sing-songed the now ducking and diving red-head as he danced his way out of the room, crossing the threshold to the outside world. The cream paint bled out, swiftly being replaced by crisp wildlife and warm sunlight, which was plentiful even in the early hours of the morning. Trying to not move too fast so that he doesn't aggravate his bruised body too much, Alex tried his hardest to avoid being caught by the now focused Ryohei – who was too busy seeing this as a training exercise. "Ryohei, you'll have to try harder than that to catch me – if I'm anything, it's fast." Taunting, he weaved around a particular close lunge, attempting to run back inside the house to further avoid him. Or attempted to at least, his arm being caught by the boxer in a surprisingly soft yet vice-like grip that stopped him in his tracks. Feeling himself being dragged backwards, he pouted (not that he believed he was – he thought he was scowling) annoyed at being caught before he could carry on his game.

"Caught you. Now do I get my prize?" Ryohei mischievously asked, voice uncharacteristically normal instead of his usual loud and boisterous exclamations, gripping him tightly to him in a bear hug. Blushing at the close proximity, especially considering his captor's lack of clothes, he sputtered, his usually eloquent mind trying to conjure up a relatively clever reply, but ended up coming short as it overheated. "There are quite a few things I want at the moment…" He added, making the dirty part of Alex's mind giggle like a Yaoi fangirl on crack, whilst logic was trying its hardest to smack it over the head and keep it in check. Furiously blushing, Alex tried his hardest to wiggle out the adamant grip before giving up and seeing it as a lost cause.

"What do you want then…Ryohei? You might as well let me go; you'd just catch me again anyway." Alex muttered, completely and utterly embarrassed and trying not to think about the consequences should someone see what's going on. "You got me now… I can't escape you so… please?" Stopping his struggling, he pleaded with the overwhelmingly strong male, who was just tilting his head to the side confusedly as he tried to come up with a reason why he was almost begging. About to release the captured swordsman, he was momentarily distracted by the entrance of a newcomer, who was just standing at the doorway with a massive grin plastered to her face. "Umm, Ryohei? Why aren't you letting go?"

"Are you having a moment? Are you two a couple? When are you getting married?" Kyoko rattled off, listing question after question and firing them haphazardly at the bewildered pair. Shrugging his shoulders, jostling Alex as he was lifted off the ground slightly, Ryohei just asked Kyoko what she meant, staring at her as if she was being stupid. "…Look at how close you are holding him, Onii-chan." Trademark smile covering her face as she tried to explain what it looked like to the oblivious boxer.

"Kyoko… This is how men hold each-other when they want to ask something… I forgot to do it before, so I did it now." Ryohei lectured to the astonished girl, whilst Alex felt the urge to beat himself over the head with something to remove the past five minutes of his life from his mind. "Didn't the Mohammed Ali fairy come to you and tell you this? Don't worry, all you need to do is join the boxing club and he'll come to you to." He comforted the still smiling girl, even if it looked incredibly strained. "He didn't come to me either, but instead my pupil had to tell me. It came to him first, seeing as he is the next generation of boxers." Nodding sagely, Ryohei finished off his speech, staring expectantly at his younger sister who was trying to compute just what came out of her older brother's mouth.

"What… I don't even… I'm speechless. I really am." Eyes impossibly wide, Alex managed to somehow choke out something, as his brain went on strike after working too hard. "I honestly… I don't… What?" Throwing words out there, he tried to fill the stunned silence with something, as his bodily functions were being re-booted. "Wait…" Gathering himself together, he finally fixed himself up, his conscience locking itself on to two separate things of interest. "Did you say 'Muhammed Ali fairy'? As in that boxer that looks nothing like a fairy? And what did you mean when you said 'pupil'?" He had to ask, the dire need to equate logic to Ryohei too great for his mind to handle.

"He didn't come to you either, Alex?" There there, everything is going to be okay, no need to be sad…" Patting Alex softly on the head, he also tried to 'console' Alex, who was slowly becoming more and more annoyed. "And it was Natsu-kun who told me, said it to me last night… I think? Or was I this morning…" Trailing off in pensive silence, Ryohei's mind was working overtime as it tried to remember just when it was. Not that Alex cared; he got his answer anyway, and was ready to break to Ryohei the most heart-breaking news in the world.

"Ryohei… I'm sorry but… the 'Muhammed Ali' fairy isn't real. It was Natsu playing a prank like the devious hell-spawn that he is." It was almost heart-rending to see the utter devastation that appeared in his eyes at that, so he attempted to try and improve his friend's mood better. "Ryohei, don't worry about it, you don't need no fairy to tell you how to be a boxer – you're more than good enough yourself, and I'm pretty sure you already know what it means to be a man…" Seeing the negativity fade away, he smiled, inwardly praising his abilities and just enjoying the moment. Well, albeit briefly, as their friendship moment was interrupted by a bright flash, Kyoko having ran inside and took pictures as soon as she could.

"Kyoko-san…" Ire rising, volcano Alex was ready to erupt, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the idol as she turned and ran, using the excuse of school to make a quick escape.

"School? We're gonna be late. EXTREME SPRINT." Shifting the body in his arms around, Ryohei easily lugged around the currently on edge Alex, settling on carrying his passenger piggyback style as he set out at blistering speeds towards the front door, easily reaching the other side of the house in mere seconds.

"RYOHEI! WE NEED TO PUT CLOTHES ON!"

… Now that would be awkward if the next door neighbours heard that.

Oh well, Alex had more important problems to deal with.

Like getting Ryohei to put clothes on.

* * *

If he was so inclined, Alex would be humming the 'Mission Impossible' theme song.

But luckily for the rest of the world, there would be no butchering of cliché themes.

Hopping over the tall, imperious walls that made up the entirety of the school, he landed on the empty street in a less-than-dignified heap, startled scream escaping his throat as he landed harshly on his hands. Brushing himself of as you tend to do, he double checked to make sure that no-one was around to see his not so spectacular landing, he sighed in relief when he noticed there was nobody to see his fail. Hesitantly stepping away from the school walls, he blew on his burning palms, wince etched on his face as he scanned around, hoping to of dodged the resident vulture and escape the bar of steel that would of undoubtedly been aiming for his head if he stuck around. With his scan done, he turned away, before running full sprint away from the ominous sight and towards the residential district – after all he did have a house that needed to be bought, and Kyoko mentioned one that fit the bill of his sister perfectly somewhere in the outskirts of town.

Shrugging absent-mindedly, he lauded himself for recording that time-table that was found on the servers, as without that then he would not be able to escape – at least without treading on the paws of the beast. Turning the corner sharply, he dashed right past a couple of children playing and around an elderly pair; following the directions he was given. It didn't take long for his vision to mimic a tunnel, as he erased the rest of the world so that he could focus on the current imperative, after all the sooner that he gets this done the more time he can do snooping around Alexander. There was just something about him that Alex needed to figure out, and it would punish him until he realises. Figuring that this is neither the time nor the place, he skidded to a stop, pausing outside a pair of regal gates, staring stunned at the expansive mansion that lay in front of him. Recording the outside to his memory, he smiled ecstatically, realising that it was going extremely well – to coin Ryohei's motto.

Already resolving to buy this house, he pushed open the gates, stepping through the boundaries and into the main courtyard. Following the trail through the cut grass and exotic flowers, he stepped around a few overgrown plants that leaves had managed to cross the boundary, he paused at the doorway. The estate agents had, after he had first rung up and inquired about buying the house, had refused to send someone down on the basis that it was too much of a short notice. Understandable indeed, but Alex refused to let a chance such as this slip, waved the fact that he intended to buy the house today had managed to persuade them into allowing him a viewing – something which was never ever done in the realm of business – unless you were in Namimori and had a lot of money. Checking his watch, noting that he had at least an hour left to buy this house and grab the deed, he shuffled impatiently, waiting for the car to drive up to the front of the building. Turning his phone on, he doubled check to see if he was right and that she would be around at three, before sighing in relief as he realised he was right and that it was not earlier, along with the fact that the person had relied around about the right time.

Watching the sharp man walk through the gates, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the odd attire, making him stand out from the rest of the businessmen that Alex had seen. Tall, with dark spiky hair and decked out in a trench-coat and suit, this man certainly had a unique impact on the secret agent. Following the very same path that the red-head had done before, he came to a stop, smiling widely as he greeted him. The fact that he had done so in English, and with a Scottish accent, quickly raised alarm bells in the sword-wielders head – alarm bells which he decided to ignore in the meantime in favour of touring the house. Said house was also currently making him very happy at the moment, considering it fit all of his and his sister's mental criteria, along with being 'affordable'. Well, affordable for his sister at least – being rich certainly had its positives and negatives, and if it was him alone he would never get to see anywhere close to the amount of money that his elder sister currently threw around like confetti. Even if it was very shiny confetti.

"So, Mr… Smith? Is that right?" Alex started, eyebrow raised in amusement, waiting for some inclination that he has been heard before continuing on with his point. "Sorry, I just had to make sure that I had it right. It's not every day that you meet someone with your name," He tacked on at the end, eying the name tag hanging off the man's coat with a speculative gleam, focusing heavily on the emphasised 'John Smith' printed innocently onto the plastic card. Hearing the non-committal grunt in reply, Alex could only sigh in annoyance, seeing that he wasn't going to get a reply off the man unless it was about business. "Fine, have it your way then, we'll get straight down to business. Does your business take checks?" Rummaging through his bag, he took out his check-book and pen, scribbling out his signature and the required number rapidly, until he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"No need for that. You know the G.T.F, so you don't have to pay just yet." 'John' sing-songed, huge grin threatening to split his face in two, as he absorbed the shocked expression of the younger member. Spotting the tenseness in his body, and the fact Alex's hand was rooted deeply into his bag, check-book forgotten momentarily as he scrambled for his blade. "There is no need for that; I am a part of the team too y'know." The now unmasked real estate agent commented, scratching the back of his head momentarily, still smiling down at the significantly shorter fighter "…You do know, right?" He sheepishly asked, only getting a dead-pan stare in response.

"No, no I didn't. I haven't been told about any other members yet." Fury rising, agent 'Xiphos' slowly pulled out his namesake, its metallic ends glinting malevolently in the afternoon light. Shifting it around, he moved himself into a relaxed position, before suddenly darting at the now chuckling adult, metaphoric steam spewing out of his ears as his vision turned red.

"I'll be off then… he he…"

And so began the incident that cemented there respect for each-other.

Alex's respect for his running skills (and calming personality, not that he would ever tell)

And John respected how very accurate Alex could be when pissed.

* * *

"Thanks again for dropping me off Scythe, I'll tell Tessen that you are around then." Alex said, stepping out of the car whilst twirling a pair of keys whimsically. Reaching back inside, he grabbed a hold of his bag before fastening it over his shoulders and making his way away from the car and into the airport. Smiling softly, Alex just carried on walking, hearing a barely audible 'see you around' reverberate through the almost empty train station, where he arrived himself. Drinking in the sight once more, he waited for the tell-tale sign of John's car to leave before flipping open his phone, eyes focusing on the stark block capitals of his older sister's name pop-up onto his screen, causing him to scowl. "Hmmph… Just when I was about to play snake as well…" Annoyed, he scanned the contents of the letter, before it came apparent that there was more inside to be angry about. "You have got to be shi…"

"Ahh ah, good little boys know better than to swear, oya?" Frozen out of his annoyance, Alex paused momentarily before doing a complete 180, glaring furiously at the mischievous… Pineapple? Taken-aback at the rather unique choice of hairstyle, not that he can really judge anyone considering his own current style. "I know that I am God's gift to women everywhere, but I didn't realize that something like that extended to little boys as well" Furrowing his brow, Alex just couldn't help himself, ignoring the arrogant tone of voice and instead doing something that his mind was urging him to do since he first set eyes on the spiky mass.

He poked it. Hard.

"It's not as pointy as it seems…" Alex noted lightly, setting himself back on to his feet as the slightly violated purple-haired man could only stare in confusion. "Oh yeah…" Recalling the random teasing that he was put through, he returned fire with a little bit of his own – after all, it wouldn't be right to let him get away with it, even if he did get his gender right on the first time. "Is there a convention in town? Because that hair style… I swear I've seen it before…" Alex said, focussing even more so on the peculiar purple bundle pointing upwards, much to the wearer's consternation.

"No… not that I believe so…" He replied, staring down at the fiery teen. "Please don't hurt yourself too much thinking – I'm certain your mind doesn't have the capacity to be even worthy of a comparison to my own." Seeing the light flash in his eyes, he couldn't help but feel slight worry, as Alex seemed to of finally come to a conclusion. "What are you going to say now, gi…?"

"Are you trying to be Shikamaru? You are aren't you?" Alex exhaled; watching in satisfaction as the once nonchalant man seemed to sputter, fumbling for a suitable response. "Well, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but… You're doing it wrong. First of all, Shikamaru has brown hair, not purple. He also has some modicum of intellectual success, whereas you seem to lack even a grain of it, considering you are cosplaying a character that you certainly don't know anything about." Twirling a hand in dismissal, he 'shoo'd' the newly dubbed Shikamaru, intent on returning to his angry state. "Now if you don't mind, please remove yourself from my presence –you're an eyesore. Certainly not, what did you call it, 'God's gift to women', as you so adamantly believe yourself to be, and let me return to being angry at my sister. Thank you for your co-operation." Not giving him any chance to respond, he returned to glaring at the phone, trying to burn it too ashes.

"Oya? What is your name? Or should I just call you little boy?" 'Shikamaru' asked, regaining his dignity, and not even looking fazed at the caustic barrage that was thrown nonchalantly at his face. He wasn't going to tell him his own – he'd let him believe that he was this 'Shikamaru' fellow, after all every illusionist mustn't reveal their secrets. "Well, little spitfire, what do you say?" Re-iterating once more to the now attentive red-head, 'Shikamaru' watched the emotions play through his eyes, before it settled on general annoyance

"Please refrain from calling me any nicknames, it's creepy – especially 'little boy', even if I do commend you on getting my gender right. And little spitfire? Very original. I'm guessing you got that from the colour of my hair, huh?" With a perpetually raised eyebrow, he looked completely unimpressed, rather annoyed at the human shaped annoyance. "And the name is Alex. Please don't wear it out. I don't offer any trade in services."

"Well, you're certainly temperamental, what's wrong with you, Oya?"

"Are you coming on to me?

"What gave you that idea, Oya?"

"You're leaning really close to me. Please go away."

"I apologise, Oya."

Removing himself from the aggravating stimuli, Alex just scowled at the almost serene man, before walking away from him and back to the exit. He couldn't believe the nerve of some people, and he especially couldn't believe his mercurial sister – who was the main cause of his ire. She, in all her unpredictable glory, cancelled last minute, and is now on her way back home. No reason, no warning, and no response –just that she has to go home, and that something came up. Stalking through the streets, he would have commented on how pretty it looked bathed in orange, but couldn't find it in himself to stop and smell the roses. Turning towards the primary school where Natsu worked, storming through the gates and to the main reception, where Natsu usually waited.

"Why are you picking me up?" Natsu asked, confused as to why his usual entourage wasn't there to pick him up like usual. After explaining to him his day so far, escaping the confines of the primary school at the same time, taking him towards Ryohei's house – but not before the pair came into contact with a half-naked Tsuna and a sleazy looking man. "Alex… Why is that boy half-naked in front of that weird looking man?" Natsu asked, looking curiously at the now smiling pair – until the sleazy looking man locked onto their position, lecherous grin pasted on his face as he charged full speed shouting something about 'burning beauties'. "Can we run?"

"Natsu, let's go" High-tailing it out of there, the young pair tried their very best to leave the homing pervert behind.

"SLOW DOWN~ LET ME HEAL ALL YOUR SORRO-"

If it was possible for people to marry rocks, then Alex would marry the rock that tripped Shamal in a heart-beat.

* * *

**_OMG GUYS/GIRLS CHAPTER 13 FIN! _**

**_ERMERGERD!_**

**_WE HAVE STUFF HAPPEN, AFTER I DISAPPEAR FROM THE WORLD DUE TO SO MUCH GOING ON. MY LIFE IS A DISASTER RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF MY COLLEGES WORKLOAD SO BEAR WITH ME PLEASDE XD_**

**_AND IT'S OBVS ABOUT THE TWO CHARACTERS INTRODUCED, (THEY ARE MUKURO AND SHAMAL) AS I WASN'T TRYING TO BE SNEAKY ABOUT IT. NOT SNEAKY AT ALL!_**

**_And SCythe is a person... Try and guess his flame and weapon (Lol one is stupidly obvious xD)_**

**_ANYWAY, GOING TO REPLY TO MY BELOVEDREVIEWERS NOW XD_**

**_Akatsuki's Neko Stalker: Thank you for reviewing~ And I'm glad to see that you will continue to do so, I'd miss you now if you stopped xD! We've bonded over Avengers and Dynamite Tennis... There is stranger things to bond over lol, believe me. Glitter tennis will be all the fun, but I would get really annoyed at the end of it - especially since it gets everywhere and it will be an absolute pain to get out lol. It's like colourful sand lol, that is slightly less uncomfortable to be around. And yea, I agree, it would totally hurt if it got in people's eyes. Like a lot xD. So... Paint bombs instead? It just sounds like paintball now, which is actually really painful. I've been once, and I didn't get hit myself (because I'm stealth ninja) but I saw the battle wounds of one of my friends and he had a massive bruise on his stomach - it wasn't pretty. And that is what you mean by the group lol, I wasn't to sure xD. I thought you meant some top secret group that sat around and made evil plots all day or something. And yes Dino. He was there for like five minutes, but then he disappeared for a bit. But he'll be back, don't worry~. And it is pretty embarrassing if you mix someone's dad up, and it's not too hard of a mistake to make. I think Dino and Tsuna look slightly like each-other, and I always thought she said that his father was downstairs when Nana said to Tsuna that there was a 'Handsome' person waiting for him lol. Anyway, before I get too off topic, thank you once again for reviewing, and I hope I'll see you again for this one :D~_**

**_phoenixfyre2552: OMG It's been a while xD. ANyway, thank you for reviewing, and there is no need to apologise - after all you have done so now, so there is no worries there lol. Glad to see that you like the chapter, but I am slightly worried about you not liking the pace of it. But there will be a time-skip, a really dodgy time-skip that I am still a bit iffy about, but a time-skip all the same so don't worry about it, as the Daily life arc is drawing to a close. Soon. Lol we'll see BAMF Ryohei soon enough, don't worry about that :DDDD. I'm looking forward to writing that scene out, as it will be a slight deviation from canon :D - and yes I am being mysterious~ Anyway, thank you so much for reviewing, and I hope that you stick around to review this one as well~_**

**_Glasses and Spectacles: HEY GURL XD :D! It has been too long, but don't worry about lol. I understand what you're going through so I totally understand it and I am happy that you are sticking around to read my terri-bad story lol :D. And FF was being dodgy with your first review, so I'm sorry that you had to redo it, but I am very grateful that you still made it long xD. I always saw Nana as a really underdeveloped important characters that needed more character building, even if she is one of the main characters in the series. I mean, she started it all of, so she has to be important - she did sign for Tsuna to get Reborn as a home-tutor, so that means without her then Tsuna and Reborn would of never actually met, which sadly means no KHR - which would be very sad indeed. So I'm glad that you are liking how I incorporate her into the story, I am a massive fan of back-story and character development, so I am happy that you are enjoying my characters~ I really like Mitobe's and Vincent's (not seen enough of Dante yet to make a judgement on him yet~) So don't think you aren't good with characters. Am I like Mystic Meg or something? Because I introduced the newest guardian, if you can guess what flame he has then I'll give you a virtual cookie. Scythe (That's not his real name lol, don't worry about that - just his code-name lol) is Scottish, and seems to be very forgetful... I wonder what dark secrets he has lol. So you know four out of seven guardians of the seven guardians... I wonder who the last three are :D~ And I have ideas for about one more OC, so you have that to look forward to. I think :D. And you're not the only one procrastinating, so am I at the moment lol - I have so much English homework T.T... It's creative writing, so can I just hand this fanfic in and get that marked lol. Hibari suicide was a thingthat came out of my Dr. Pepper fuelled mind lol, so I am glad you like it so much. Considering that I was literally destroying today there should be more in this than that chapter. And 'm taking it slow for now lol, so I am glad you enjoy the pacing. Be warned though that there is going to be a time-skip coming up, but I think you know that already~ I'm not able to spend anywhere near enough time as I did before, so I may have to shorten chapters a bit... And yes, they are so domestic it isn't even funny, but I get fuzzies typing them so I'm not annoyed at doing it - I just love building relationships so that you can see that it has substance and isn't just some crazy sudden thing that appears out of nowhere lol, if you get what I am saying lol. Natsu is dangerously cute - too dangerous lool. Will it backfire one day? Maybe? And if you loved that RyoheixAlex scene... You are going to love this chapter, considering the first half is like a moment for them lol, even if they don't think it is - Kyoko does at least, so at least they'll be sorted. And feels are always a good sign~ And the Arcs will be very soon (I think?), so you wont have to (maybe) wait long. And no worries if you review late or it is cut short, I understand what is going on so don't worry about it :D. Anyway, thank you so much for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this chapter :D. And I also hope that you review again lol, and stick around to continue reading~_**

**_Anyway, until next time, Thank you everyone that read/reviewed/followed/favourited/stalked/fangirl' d/fanboy'd/enjoyed/etc/etc , and a special thank you to DISCOABC for trying to promote us~_**

**_So go check out her story 'Kyoko' as well lol, if you haven't already~_**

**_So until next time, Ciao Ciao~_**

**_P.S: Reviews are amazing, and if you have any questions don't feel afraid to send them in a PM or to post them in a review - they are my motivation after all with all the work I have to do in college T.T_**


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